Estudios simplificados (poligrafía respiratoria y oximetría) en el diagnÓstico del síndrome de apnea del sueño

Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is a high prevalence condition in our population. Treatment results not only in improvement of symptoms (hypersomnolence, snoring) but also prevents cardiovascular and neurologic complications in severe disease. The gold standard for assessment is polysomnography, but high cost and long waiting list prevent from making an early diagnosis of this syndrome. In our institution, patients with suspected SAS undergo nocturnal oximetry (NONIN 8600) or respiratory polygraphy (Autoset II Plus). Both methods show lower complexity and cost of implementation, proving effective for early diagnosis of this disorder, specially those moderate to severe. Studies comparing respiratory polygraphy with polysomnography showed a sensibility of 90-100% and specificity of 80-100%. We were able to reduce the indication of polysomnography to cases in which a diagnosis was not obtained with these methods, or another disease was suspected (narcolepsy, periodic limb movements, etc.). This resulted in a significant cost reduction for SAS evaluation.