Screening moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea with wearable device

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent sleep-related breathing disorder usually diagnosed through polysomnography (PSG). Moderate to severe OSA can significantly increase morbidity and mortality. Existing screening tools have limited accuracy. This study aimed to evaluate the Wellue O₂ ring, a commercial pulse oximeter ring, for screening moderate to severe OSA.

A cross-sectional study included adults aged 18 and older suspected of having OSA who underwent PSG while wearing the Wellue O2 ring on their thumb. The oxygen desaturation index (ODI) from both the O2 ring and PSG was recorded. Sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated to determine the optimal ODI cutoff value for predicting moderate to severe OSA.

The study included 190 participants (53.2% male) with an average age of 43 years and an average apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 50.4 events per hour. Among the participants, 84.7% had moderate to severe OSA. The optimal cutoff value for 11% ODI was 1.25 events per hour lasting 20 s, with a sensitivity of 87.30% and a specificity of 78.70%. The area under the ROC curve for identifying moderate to severe OSA was 0.91.

The Wellue O2 ring demonstrated high accuracy in detecting moderate to severe OSA and could be a viable alternative for screening in clinical settings due to its accessibility and ease of use. However, larger studies are required to validate its clinical utility for diagnosing and managing moderate to severe OSA.