Home testing

Hi,

I need to be tested and am wondering if home testing is as effective as lab testing for Sleep Apnea.

Thanks

Hello, I am a dentist working in dental sleep medicine. The answer to your question would depend on how you would define, "just as effective". I would say that, at this time, a quality home test has evolved enough to give you a very dependable record of your actual number of breathing interruptions(apneas and hypopneas). The major(and very important) difference between a laboratory study and a home study is that the lab study is attended. This means that a trained sleep technician will be essentially monitoring you continuously all night long. They will observe every movement of your body, if you are actually asleep, whether or not the equipment leads remain properly connected, periodic limb movements, and many other things. I can tell you that the lab study reports are much more detailed and have a lot of important information not present in a home sleep study. Never-the-less, if you are on a very tight budget or just can not deal with the thought of sleeping in a laboratory setting, an HST can often make the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea in a minimally adequate fashion. a.b.luisi,d.m.d.

Most labs are now forced by Medicare and insurance companies to do a home sleep study first. A home study can tell if you have OSA but that's all the information it gets. If the home study indicates the patient has OSA then a real sleep study is performed. A lab study gathers far more info than a home study and also tests for other sleep disorders.

Joe

I have done research in this area. Home sleep studies are most appropriate for people identified to be at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea. In those individuals, the test can usually provide good data to confirm a diagnosis of OSA. Home sleep studies however can sometimes underestimate the severity of sleep apnea. So if you have a negative test, an in lab test may be indicated to make sure this was not a "false negative." Home sleep studies can be more convenient for some patients and several large studies have shown that patient outcomes (improved sleepiness, CPAP compliance) were similar for patients who fit the category of being at high risk for sleep apnea and got either a home or in lab test. Generally, in lab tests should be used when other sleep disorders- such as central sleep apnea or periodic limb movements- are being evaluated

I did home testing for sleep apnea. The Dr. who read the test said I had complex or mixed sleep apnea. Due to the large number of central apneas, about 80%, I have to go for an overnight sleep test. I also have restless legs and bruxism.

Please read post #34 in Central/Mixed Apnea.....I'm too tired to type it out again....LOL!