Simple screening techniques for OSA?
Question:
Ryk <r…@home.com> wrote: >I found my sleep test a little unnerving. I might have acted earlier >if the diagnostic possibilities were less intrusive, not to mention >that a sleep lab test must cost a fortune. (I live in Canada, so money >was not a direct issue in the testing.) >Is anybody here aware of any really simple diagnostic that might be >prescribed e.g. for all snorers as a way of catching more of the >undiagnosed OSA before it gets to be a severe enough problem to >*drive* people to seek medical help?
John Burnell just posted the results of some very interesting studies where a microphone was used to detect sleep disorders with a high degree of accuracy. Still experimental, but it gives hope for the future. I can’t imagine a better contrast to the sleep center than lying in your own bed with, at most, a microphone attached. Tom – Sick of Spam? Join CAUCE. http://www.cauce.org
Response:
Ryk wrote: > I found my sleep test a little unnerving. I might have acted earlier > if the diagnostic possibilities were less intrusive, not to mention > that a sleep lab test must cost a fortune.
What do you mean by intrusive? My polysomnogram was less intrusive at two nights worth than my mother’s recent colonoscopy and endoscopy for polyps and possible ulcers. Nothing was shoved inside my tender parts. Granted the glue stinks and can be stubborn to wash out, but I did not need to be anesthetized for the technician to wire me up, no one was _Required_ to drive me home the next day. At best it is an annoyance to be temporarily endured in order to gain a great deal. I have gained back a life worth living, and a longer life span too boot. And what did it take to get this? A couple of nights sleeping in an uncomfortable situation. I did it and I’ll do it again to keep my present ability to stay awake at work, to stay awake after I get home to run errands and use my computer, to be able to go to a movie with friends on the weekend, to go to a picnic, to play with my cat and dog, to talk to my family…. to be able to live. For what it is worth, the few informal surveys we have had from time to time on the cost of the sleep lab tests tends to vary a great deal from area to area. — Magesteff – "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." -Albert Einstein
Response:
Ryk wrote: > I found my sleep test a little unnerving. I might have acted earlier > if the diagnostic possibilities were less intrusive, not to mention > that a sleep lab test must cost a fortune. (I live in Canada, so money > was not a direct issue in the testing.) > Is anybody here aware of any really simple diagnostic that might be > prescribed e.g. for all snorers as a way of catching more of the > undiagnosed OSA before it gets to be a severe enough problem to > *drive* people to seek medical help? > Ryk
Since I have been diagnosed and have become knowledgable on OSA, I have dianosed five people, four of whom are now on CPAP with the fith waiting for his second study. Diagnosis is fairly simple from the symptoms, but a titration must be done to establish the pressure level for treatment. Regards, Lee — Lee Babcock Scarborough (Toronto), Ontario, Canada Email —- babco…@idirect.ca
Response:
On Mon, 19 Jun 2000 18:04:52 -0400, "Magesteff (Steffeny)" <mages…@bellsouth.net> wrote: >Ryk wrote: >> I found my sleep test a little unnerving. I might have acted earlier >> if the diagnostic possibilities were less intrusive, not to mention >> that a sleep lab test must cost a fortune. >What do you mean by intrusive?
It definitely intrudes on one’s life to spend a night (or two or three) sleeping in a lab with techs watching and wires all over the place. It probably feels even more intrusive for younger patients who are not used to the indignities of active health care. I certainly agree with you that, for me, it was worth doing, and that it’s small potatoes compared to many other procedures. I was wondering about options for earlier diagnosis that would be so non-intrusive (and cheap) that a GP might suggest them in the same way as suggesting a blood test for cholesterol. I just wonder what might have been different in my life if I had been diagnosed earlier. I think it would have been a good thing. Ryk
Response:
Ryk wrote: > I found my sleep test a little unnerving. I might have acted earlier > if the diagnostic possibilities were less intrusive, not to mention > that a sleep lab test must cost a fortune. (I live in Canada, so money > was not a direct issue in the testing.)
I can understand how the test may have been un-nerving. The 1st study I did was about 8 years ago, when the bed was uncomfortable, the wires ran through a hole in a wall, and the glue (and the abrasion before glueing) was a big downer. My last test a month ago. It was much better. The adhesive was much easier to deal with, and they didn’t have to rub so hard. It was better than the normal sticky pads they use for EKGs. and there were fewer leads on my scalp. They had normal double beds, and a nicely furnished room with TV ! The hookup was via a connector in the headboard. All in all.. not a bad experience. I guess there is lots of variation. I’d suggest that screening with the Epworth questions and some of the other predictive questionairres would be a good way to start, but unfortunatly the only way to know for sure is to do the study. There isn’t any other way of doing the proper sleep staging that I’ve heard of… since ‘waking’ may not be always directly observed.
Response:
Ryk <r…@home.com> wrote:
: I found my sleep test a little unnerving. I might have acted earlier : if the diagnostic possibilities were less intrusive, not to mention : that a sleep lab test must cost a fortune. (I live in Canada, so money : was not a direct issue in the testing.) : Is anybody here aware of any really simple diagnostic that might be : prescribed e.g. for all snorers as a way of catching more of the : undiagnosed OSA before it gets to be a severe enough problem to : *drive* people to seek medical help? Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. Diagnosing OSA is not particularly difficult. All you would have to do is watch the person sleep or have the person videotape him/herself. The cessations in breathing are fairly obvious. A sleep test is requred, though, to determine the correct pressure for xPAP therapy, check O2 levels, and to make sure that no central apneas are present. Scott
Response:
I found my sleep test a little unnerving. I might have acted earlier if the diagnostic possibilities were less intrusive, not to mention that a sleep lab test must cost a fortune. (I live in Canada, so money was not a direct issue in the testing.) Is anybody here aware of any really simple diagnostic that might be prescribed e.g. for all snorers as a way of catching more of the undiagnosed OSA before it gets to be a severe enough problem to *drive* people to seek medical help? Ryk
