Abstract
Portable-monitor testing is being used increasingly in ambulatory management pathways for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Wide varieties of portable monitors are commercially available and they range from single-channel recorders to units that record a full polysomnogram. Recent comparative effectiveness research studies have shown that clinical outcomes of patients with a high pretest probability for obstructive sleep apnea who receive ambulatory management using portable-monitor testing have similar functional outcomes and adherence to continuous positive airway pressure treatment, compared to patients managed with in-laboratory polysomnography. The cost-effectiveness of portable-monitor testing and its potential to improve patient access to diagnosis and treatment requires further investigation.
Footnotes
- Correspondence: Samuel T Kuna MD, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 3624 Market Street, Suite 205, Philadelphia PA 19104. E-mail: skuna{at}mail.med.upenn.edu.
Dr Kuna presented a version of this paper at the 45th Respiratory Care Journal Conference, “Sleep Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment” held December 10-12, 2009, in San Antonio, Texas.
This research was partly supported by the Veterans Health Administration, Health Services Research and Development grant IIR04-021-2.
Dr Kuna has disclosed relationships with Philips Respironics and Embla.
↵* Pamela Minkley RRT RPSGT CPFT, Home Healthcare Solutions, Philips Respironics, Monroeville, Pennsylvania.
- Copyright © 2010 by Daedalus Enterprises Inc.
