ABSTRACT
Objective: Polysomnography [PSG] remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome [OSAS]. While PSG is essential for OSAS, this technique is not suitable for epidemiological investigation due to its high cost. This study aimed to compare a portable monitoring device with PSG for the measurement of parameters related to the diagnosis of OSAS in rural areas
Methods: We conducted a descriptive study of 155 patients [30 women and 125 men; mean age, 52 +/- 12 years] who visited to the Hendek Government Hospital Sleep Laboratory between February 2011 and January 2013 Apnoea hypopnea index [AHI], mean levels of O[2] [meanO[2]], desaturation index [DI], and minimum oxygen saturation [minO[2]] variations as measured using both PSG and a portable Somnocheck Micro [SM] device were compared
Results: Differences were found between the meanO[2] and DI, but not between AHI and minO[2]. Differences between the methods were not desired, but the relationship between the methods was distinct and supported our hypothesis
Conclusions: The results of our study have shown that the SM portable device can be used as an alternative diagnostic tool in this population either at home or in sleep clinic