Diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea by peripheral arterial tonometry: meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Diagnostic Technology
• Cardiorespiratory Physiology

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosis and early treatment are crucial for preventing morbidity and mortality.
• Ambulatory sleep study devices offer potential for convenient and cost-effective OSA diagnosis compared to polysomnography (PSG).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the correlation between sleep indexes measured by peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) devices and standard polysomnography (PSG).

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 studies (909 patients) comparing PAT devices (WatchPAT) with PSG.
• Included studies assessed respiratory disturbance index (RDI), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and oxygen desaturation index (ODI).
• Bivariate correlation coefficients were extracted and analyzed using meta-analysis software.

Main Results:

• High overall correlation was found between PAT and PSG for RDI and AHI (r=0.889).
• Specific correlations included RDI (r=0.879), AHI (r=0.893), and ODI (r=0.942).
• Most studies (13/14) employed blinded, simultaneous PAT and PSG measurements.

Conclusions:

• Portable PAT-based devices demonstrate strong positive correlation with PSG for key respiratory indexes.
• This technology presents a viable and accurate alternative to PSG for diagnosing clinically suspected sleep apnea.