Portable / Home Study
Why have a study at home?
Having a sleep study at home seems intuitive, though historically, the use of portable, or home testing for obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis has been limited. Testing in the home with limited channel instruments yields less information than what is gathered in the lab, reducing diagnostic accuracy in patients with less obvious respiratory abnormalities. Home testing has been used in special circumstances, including individuals confined to their residence due to medical or mobility considerations, and in patients thought to very likely have the disorder, and having symptoms requiring urgent evaluation.
Portable testing has also been used as a less costly alternative to in-lab studies in patients without health insurance or unable to afford testing in the lab. The use of portable testing is expected to increase as the understanding of the proper patient for this modality become better defined, and as insurers embrace the appropriate use of limited channel studies in these patients.
Comparison to a sleep center study
Typically, portable sleep studies performed in the home are not as comprehensive as studies done in the sleep center, due to technical and equipment limitations. Portable studies are generally performed in the absence of a sleep technician, who is present during a sleep center study to carefully document patient behaviors and to ensure that all equipment is functioning properly. Equipment problems, or displaced or loose sensors during unattended portable testing can result in inconclusive results.
Though some portable studies may be performed using similar numbers of information gathering sensors as that used in a sleep center, most home diagnostic testing equipment utilizes limited channels that reduce the information available from the study, and conclusions that can be drawn from the test. Recent reviews comparing portable and sleep center testing for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea have concluded that sleep center studies are superior, though when used in appropriate patients, limited channel portable studies can provide accurate diagnostic information regarding obstructive sleep apnea.
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