Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Unattended Portable Monitors in the Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adult Patients
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Abstract
Based on a review of literature and consensus, the Portable Monitoring Task Force of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) makes the following recommendations: unattended portable monitoring (PM) for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) should be performed only in conjunction with a comprehensive sleep evaluation. Clinical sleep evaluations using PM must be supervised by a practitioner with board certification in sleep medicine or an individual who fulfills the eligibility criteria for the sleep medicine certification examination. PM may be used as an alternative to polysomnography (PSG) for the diagnosis of OSA in patients with a high pretest probability of moderate to severe OSA. PM is not appropriate for the diagnosis of OSA in patients with significant comorbid medical conditions that may degrade the accuracy of PM. PM is not appropriate for the diagnostic evaluation of patients suspected of having comorbid sleep disorders. PM is not appropriate for general screening of asymptomatic populations. PM may be indicated for the diagnosis of OSA in patients for whom in-laboratory PSG is not possible by virtue of immobility, safety, or critical illness. PM may also be indicated to monitor the response to non-CPAP treatments for sleep apnea.