Automated screening of children with obstructive sleep apnea using nocturnal oximetry: An alternative to respiratory polygraphy in unattended settings

Abstract

Study Objectives: Nocturnal oximetry has emerged as a simple, readily available, and potentially useful diagnostic tool of childhood obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). However, at-home respiratory polygraphy (HRP) remains the preferred alternative to polysomnography (PSG) in unattended settings. The aim of this study was two-fold: (1) to design and assess a novel methodology for pediatric OSAHS screening based on automated analysis of at-home oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2), and (2) to compare its diagnostic performance with HRP. Methods: SpO2 recordings were parameterized by means of time, frequency, and conventional oximetric measures. Logistic regression (LR) models were optimized using genetic algorithms (GAs) for 3 cutoffs for OSAHS: 1, 3, and 5 events per hour (e/h). The diagnostic performance of LR models, manual obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (OAHI) from HRP, and the conventional oxygen desaturation index ≥3% (ODI3) were assessed. Results: For a cutoff of 1 e/h, the optimal LR model significantly outperformed both conventional HRP-derived ODI3 and OAHI: 85.5% Accuracy (HRP 74.6%; ODI3 65.9%) and 0.97 AUC (HRP 0.78; ODI3 0.75) were reached. For a cutoff of 3 e/h, the LR model achieved 83.4% Accuracy (HRP 85.0%; ODI3 74.5%) and 0.96 AUC (HRP 0.93; ODI3 0.85) whereas using a cutoff of 5 e/h, oximetry reached 82.8% Accuracy (HRP 85.1%; ODI3 76.7) and 0.97 AUC (HRP 0.95; ODI3 0.84). Conclusions: Automated analysis of at-home SpO2 recordings provide accurate detection of children with high pre-test probability of OSAHS. Thus, unsupervised nocturnal oximetry may enable a simple and effective alternative to HRP and PSG in unattended settings.