The main study aim was to compare the validity of children sleep apnea data obtained from standard polysomnography (PSG) to a home sleep apnea test (HSAT) accompanied by an attending online video technician. Our study population was comprised of 100 children, 54 boys and 46 girls, ages 3-11 (average age 5.2, SD 1.2) assigned randomly either to in-lab full PSG or to a HSAT with real-time, online technical support to rule out obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A t test comparison did not yield significant differences between data obtained from the in-lab PSG and HSAT with real-time, online, technical support for any of the following measures: Apnea-Hypopnea Index, Oxygen desaturation Index, baseline O2, or minimum O2 parameters. However, a significant difference was found for time in bed and total sleep time, which was significantly longer in the HAST. Online HSAT can provide a safe, convenient and a reliable way to perform sleep studies in young children for diagnosing OSA in their familiar home environment.
Keywords: Child; HAST; OSA; Online; Polysomnography.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Japanese Society of Sleep Research 2022.