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The following is a summary of “Portable polygraphic device (Somnocheck micro CARDIO®) provides accurate diagnostic information in psychiatric patients at risk for obstructive sleep apnoea: an observational cohort study,” published in the September 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Bailer et al.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms usually overlap with psychiatric disorders, making diagnosis challenging in psychiatric settings. Untreated OSA can deteriorate psychiatric symptoms, reduce treatment effectiveness, and impact overall QoL.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the Somnocheck micro CARDIO® (SCm) portable cardiorespiratory polygraphy device with the gold standard polysomnography (PSG) in patients with psychiatric disorder in a real-world clinical setting.

They studied patients with psychiatric disorders with intermediate to high risk for OSA, screened with the STOP-Bang questionnaire, and were admitted to a tertiary care center between June 1, 2016, and December 31, 2022. The Apnoea-Hypopnoea-Index (AHI), Apnoea-Index (AI), Oxygen-Desaturation-Index (ODI), and minimum oxygen saturation were calculated by SCm and PSG.

The results showed that 57 patients were examined (median age 62.0 [IQR, 51.5–72.5] years; 34 [59.6%] men), with no differences in AHI between SCm and PSG (AHI measured by PSG, median, 16.6 [IQR, 6.2–26.7] vs. AHI measured by SCm, median, 14.9 [IQR, 10.0-22.8]; p=0.812; r=0.71). However, AI, ODI, and minimum oxygen saturation differed remarkably. Using optimized cut-off values (any OSA: AHI_SCm ≥ 9.25), SCm exhibited high sensitivity (0.894) and specificity (0.800) for diagnosing OSA, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.877.

They concluded that SCm portable devices recognized patients with psychiatric disorders also suffering from OSA. AHI measurement by SCm provided a diagnostic version compared to polysomnography, supporting integrating polygraphic measurements into routine sleep assessments for patients with psychiatric disorders, leading to early and accurate diagnosis of OSA and improved management of both sleep disorders and psychiatric conditions, enhancing overall treatment outcomes and QoL.

Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-06049-8