Is portable monitoring accurate in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in chronic pulmonary obstructive disease?

Abstract Background No scientific evidence supports the use of portable devices to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in patients with co-morbities. Our aim was to evaluate the accuracy of a portable monitoring device (Stardust – STD) in the detection of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Patients with COPD and clinical suspicion of OSAS were recruited for a prospective randomized study. The STD was used on two different nights: (1) at home (STDHome) and (2) at the sleep laboratory simultaneous with polysomnography (PSG-STDLab). Results A total of 72 patients underwent the proposed recordings. Forty-six volunteers were excluded due to recording problems, and data from 26 subjects were analyzed. The mean age was (mean ± SD) 62.8 ± 8.5 years, 50% were male, and the mean forced expiratory volume in the first second was 55 ± 11%. Significant intraclass correlation was observed between apnea–hypopnea index (AHI)-PSG vs. AHI-STDLab ( r = 0.61, p < 0.0001) and AHI-STDHome ( r = 0.47, p < 0.007). Kappa analysis also showed a significant agreement for severe group. Conclusion Despite the agreement found in a small number of patients between AHI, a large number of failures in the recording limits the use of this portable device for the diagnosis of OSAS in patients with COPD.