Authors (including presenting author) :
To WHZ(1)(2), Sum YS(1), Hui SC(1),Tsui KC(1), Chan MY(1), Abdullah VJ(1)(2), Ku KMP(1)(2)
Affiliation :
(1)Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, United Christian Hospital, (2)Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Introduction :
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep disorder in Hong Kong. There is an increasing trend for patient presenting with symptoms of OSA. Early detection and treatment would prevent catastrophic sequelae. OSA treatment is traditionally guided by the gold standard overnight Polysomnography (PSG). However, the long waiting time around 2.5 years of overnight PSG in pubic settings in Hong Kong has become a major issue in recent years.
Objectives :
The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Watch-PAT as a screening tool to help early diagnosis for OSA.
Methodology :
This is a prospective study with a total of 100 patients with suspected OSA underwent both overnight PSG and Watch-PAT simultaneously between January 2010 to December 2018 in United Christian Hospital. All PSG were manually scored by registered sleep technologists with reference to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) manual and all the Watch-PAT results were analyzed by the automatic algorithm. Continuous variables were compared by Student’s t test or Wilcoxon signed rank test based on the normality test. Bland-Altman plot was also produced to assess the agreement. In any statistical comparison, a p-value smaller than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
Result & Outcome :
The results of 100 patients (76 males and 24 females, mean age of 44.63 ± 12.75 years) underwent both PSG and Watch-PAT. The average waiting time for Watch-PAT was 3 months while the overall waiting time for PSG was 2.5years. The overall sensitivity of watch-PAT to detect OSA is 77.6%. The sensitivity increases in moderate OSA of 82.8% to severe OSA of 96.4%. The mean overestimation of Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) and Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) by Watch-PAT are 2.59 and 4.07 respectively (p< 0.01). High and significant correlation exists between PSG and watch-PAT for AHI (r = 0.957, p < 0.01) & RDI (r = 0.950, p < 0.01). Watch-PAT is demonstrated to be a reliable home ambulatory sleep study for OSA especially in patients with severe OSA. In conclusion, Watch-PAT could be offer to patient with suspected obstructive sleep apnea for early detection and treatment.
