Apnoea and hypopnoea scoring for people with spinal cord injury: new thresholds for sleep disordered breathing diagnosis and severity classification

Descriptive study. To determine the effect of respiratory event rule-set changes on the apnoea hypopnoea index, and diagnostic and severity thresholds in people with acute and chronic spinal cord injury. Eleven acute spinal cord injury inpatient hospitals across Australia, New Zealand, Canada and England; community dwelling chronic spinal cord injury patients in their own homes. Polysomnography of people with acute (n = 24) and chronic (n = 78) tetraplegia were reanalysed from 1999 American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) respiratory scoring, to 2007 AASM ‘alternative’ and 2012 AASM respectively. Equivalent cut points for published 1999 AASM sleep disordered breathing severity ranges were calculated using receiver operator curves, and results presented alongside analyses from the able-bodied. In people with tetraplegia, shift from 1999 AASM to 2007 AASM ‘alternative’ resulted in a 22% lower apnoea hypopnoea index, and to 2012 AASM a 17% lower index. In people with tetraplegia, equivalent cut-points for 1999 AASM severities of 5,15 and 30 were calculated at 2.4, 8.1 and 16.3 for 2007 AASM ‘alternative’ and 3.2, 10.0 and 21.2 for 2012 AASM. Interpreting research, prevalence and clinical polysomnography results conducted over different periods requires knowledge of the relationship between different rule-sets, and appropriate thresholds for diagnosis of disease. This project was proudly supported by the Traffic Accident Commission (Program grant) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (PhD stipend 616605).