Abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by cessation of breathing or airflow reduction during sleep. It affects approximately 4% of the middle-aged adult population [ [1] Pack A. An overview of obstructive sleep apnea: epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment. Adv Intern Med. 1994; 39: 517-567 PubMed Google Scholar ]. Patients with undiagnosed OSA have considerably higher medical costs compared with those who do not have the condition, and it has been estimated that untreated sleep apnea may cause $3.4 billion in additional medical costs in the United States [ [2] Kapur V. Blough D.K. Sandblom R.E. et al. The medical cost of undiagnosed sleep apnea. Sleep. 1999; 22: 749-755 PubMed Google Scholar ]. In the United States, the recommended method for diagnosing OSA is laboratory monitoring with attended polysomnography (PSG) [ [3] American Sleep Disorders Association Practice parameters for the indications for polysomnography and related procedures: Polysomnography Task Force, American Sleep Disorders Association Standards of Practice committee. Sleep. 1997; 20: 406-422 Crossref PubMed Scopus (512) Google Scholar ]. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is currently a preferred treatment for OSA, but it requires titration while the patient sleeps in the laboratory. In patients with severe OSA, a split night protocol often is used. In a split night protocol, the first 2 to 3 hours are used for confirming the diagnosis, and the remainder of the night is used to titrate CPAP. In less severe cases, two laboratory studies are performed, the first for diagnosis, and the second for CPAP titration.
Publication Year: 2006
Publication Date: 2006-12-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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