A comparison of polysomnography and the WatchPAT in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to validate the WatchPAT in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.

STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a prospective, blinded, nonrandomized clinical trial.

METHODS: Patients with suspected obstructive sleep apnea scheduled for an overnight level I polysomnogram were offered enrollment in a study to compare the WatchPAT (Itamar Ltd, Israel) device with polysomnography. Patients wore the WatchPAT device simultaneously while undergoing polysomnography during evaluation in the sleep lab.

RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients participated in the study. They had a mean age of 50.1 years (range, 31-73 years) and mean body mass index of 34.6 kg/m(2) (range, 21.2-46.8 kg/m(2)). There was high correlation between the polysomnogram and WatchPAT apnea-hypopnea index (r = 0.9288; 95% confidence interval = 0.8579-0.9650, P < 0.0001). The lowest oxygen saturation also showed high correlation (r = 0.989; 95% confidence interval = 0.9773-0.9947, P < 0.0001). The overall polysomnogram and WatchPAT sleep times revealed a correlation of r = 0.5815 (P = 0.005).

CONCLUSION: The WatchPAT showed a high correlation with the polysomnogram in apnea-hypopnea index, lowest oxygen saturation, and sleep time.

SIGNIFICANCE: It's use as a reliable tool in the diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.