Validation of a non-contact screening device for the combination of sleep-disordered breathing and periodic limb movements in sleep

Purpose Recent studies found that the non-contact screening device SleepMinder (ResMed Sensor Technologies, Dublin, Ireland) detects sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) with high diagnostic accuracy in cohorts suspected of this disorder. However, it was reported that in patients with periodic limb movement in sleep (PLMS), this non-contact device overestimates the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). We aimed to overcome this limitation by introducing the novel sleep disorder index (SDI) which is sum of the AHI and the period limb movement index (PLMI). Methods Between January 2011 and December 2013, we studied a mixed cohort of 57 patients (31 OSA, 19 PLMS). The easy-to-use non-contact device emits a very weak electromagnetic radiation and detects body movement by measuring the Doppler effect. We interpreted the device-generated movement index as the SDI and validated the diagnostic accuracy against simultaneous application of the gold-standard polysomnography (PSG). Results We found that the SDI of the non-contact device correlated well with the sum of AHI and PLMI derived from PSG ( r = 0.79, p = 0.01). For PSG-derived SDI cutoff ≥ 15/h, we obtained a sensitivity of 92.2% and a specificity of 95.8%. Positive likelihood ratio was 23.3 and negative likelihood ratio 0.03. Conclusions The studied non-contact screening device detects accurately the combination of the sleep disorders SDB and/or PLM. However, further testing is required in order to specify the nature of the underlying sleep disorder. At the current stage of algorithm development, the clinical strength is that the studied non-contact device can be used as a rule-out screening device for SDB and PLM.