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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
[Diagnostic utility of nocturnal in-home respiratory polygraphy]
O Sardón Prado1, E González Pérez-Yarza, A Aldasoro Ruiz
1Unidad de Neumología Infantil. Servicio de Pediatría. Hospital Donostia. San Sebastián. España. osardon@chdo.osakidetza.net
Insights
In-home respiratory polygraphy (RP) is a valid and reliable diagnostic tool for childhood sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS), offering comparable results to in-hospital methods. This approach is more cost-effective and allows for more physiological sleep studies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Sleep Medicine
- Diagnostic Technologies
Background:
- Sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) is common in children.
- Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard but has limitations.
- Respiratory polygraphy (RP) is a viable alternative for SAHS diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of in-home RP for SAHS in children.
- To compare in-home RP with in-hospital RP in a pediatric population.
- To assess the utility of in-home RP for diagnosing sleep-disordered breathing.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 132 children with suspected SAHS, snoring, or both.
- Comparison of in-home RP (44 patients) and in-hospital RP (88 patients).
- Analysis of diagnostic variables including apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and oxygen saturation (SpO2).
Main Results:
- No significant differences in validity or diagnostic yield between in-home and in-hospital RP.
- In-home RP showed comparable results for AHI/h, mean SpO2, and minimum SpO2.
- Recording validity was similar, with 4.5% non-valid recordings in both groups.
Conclusions:
- In-home RP demonstrates equal diagnostic utility to in-hospital RP for childhood SAHS.
- In-home RP offers a more physiological study and is more cost-efficient.
- In-home RP is a valid and reliable method for diagnosing pediatric SAHS.
Introduction:
Sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) is relatively frequent in children. The gold standard for diagnosis is polysomnography. However, because of technical difficulties and the cost of this method, new alternatives have become available, such as respiratory polygraphy (RP) performed at home or in hospital, which have provided satisfactory results in children with clinical suspicion of SAHS.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to analyze the diagnostic utility of in-home RP in the diagnosis of SAHS in a sample of boys and girls referred to the pediatric respiratory care department for suspected sleep apnea, snoring, or both.
Material And Methods:
In all patients, a history and physical examination were performed; X-ray of the chest and cavum and RP were carried out. The following qualitative variables were analyzed: place where RP was performed, the result, sex, the reason for consulting, place of residence, results of otorhinolaryngological examination, and treatment. The quantitative variables analyzed were age, total number of apneas, total number of hypopneas, apnea index/hour, hypopnea index/hour, mean and minimum SpxO2, number of snores per hour and the snore index/hour. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's chi-square test and Student's t-test.
Results:
A total of 132 patients were studied, 44 (33.3 %) through in-home RP (group 1) and 88 (66.6 %) through in-hospital RP (group 2). In group 1, two recordings (4.5 %) were considered nonvalid. The mean age of the patients was 8.3 years (SD 3.02). The results [means (standard deviation)] of in-home RP were as follows: apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)/h: 3.4 (4.3); mean SpxO2: 97.3 (1.8); minimum SpxO2: 87.7 (10.3). In group 2, four recordings (4.5 %) were nonvalid. The mean age of the patients was 7.4 years (SD 3). The results of in-hospital RP were as follows: AHI/h: 4.45 (5.4); mean SpxO2: 96.8 (1.8); minimum SpxO2: 87 (11). No significant differences were found between the validity of in-home and in-hospital RP. Likewise, no significant differences were found between AHI/h, SpxO2 and in-home and in-hospital RP.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, in our sample, the diagnostic utility of in-home RP was equal to that of in-hospital RP. In-home RP allows the possibility of performing a more physiological sleep study and, by eliminating the cost of hospitalization, is more cost-efficient. Therefore, in-home RP is a valid and reliable technique for the diagnosis of childhood SAHS.
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