Diagnostic Modalities in Sleep Disordered Breathing: Current and Emerging Technology and Its Potential to Transform...

Area of Science:

• Sleep medicine
• Biomedical engineering
• Diagnostic technology

Background:

• Home sleep apnea testing is widely used for diagnosing sleep disordered breathing (SDB).
• Current methods often replicate polysomnography, focusing on the apnea-hypopnea index.
• Limitations exist in cost, accessibility, and scope of traditional in-laboratory polysomnography.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current evidence for sleep study testing in suspected sleep-related breathing disorders.
• To discuss novel and emerging sleep monitoring technologies.
• To outline the transformative potential of new technologies in SDB diagnostics and care.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing evidence for home sleep apnea testing.
• Categorization of emerging technologies into wearables, nearables, and airables.
• Analysis of the potential impact of these innovations on SDB diagnosis and management.

Main Results:

• Existing home sleep apnea tests are valuable but often mimic polysomnography.
• New technologies offer simplified screening, detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of SDB.
• Wearables, nearables, and airables represent significant advancements beyond traditional methods.

Conclusions:

• Emerging sleep monitoring technologies promise to overcome limitations of current SDB diagnostics.
• These innovations have the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes through enhanced diagnosis and management.
• The future of SDB diagnostics lies in leveraging these novel technological approaches.