How Screening Works

The Sleep Apnea Shop is currently hiring out the ApneaLink™ screening units.

This ApneaLink™ is strapped to the body overnight, a canula (thin hollow tube) is attached which is then wrapped around the ears like a spectacles, but instead on lying on the bridge of the nose, lie below the nose. Some clients find it uncomfortable, many forget that its there after a few moments. A minimum period of about 2 hours is required for a reading, but a full nights reading will give a more accurate reading. The unit has enough memory for 16 hours of readings, so one hiring can be used for 2 people or one person over 2 nights.  You may just have to replace the batteries after a night's use.

There are several other brands of screening devices, but they do not currently compare in ease of use and automatic results to the ApneaLink™ .

The ApneaLink™ measures the client's breathing overnight, and the pressure recorded of each breath, as well as the snoring frequency, provided it is switched on an fitted correctly.

The client needs to ensure the following:

1. The unit is switched on and working.
2. The tubing is firmly attached to the ApneaLink™ and securely below the nose.

The Sleep Apnea Shop suggests that clients screened with mild or even moderate sleep apnea try the simple remedies first, such as weight loss, sleeping position, mandibular advancement devices, and then take another ApneaLink™ screening to check the effectiveness of the remedies.

The Sleep Apnea Shop suggests that patients screened mild, moderate or severe sleep apnea, and who also suffer from suspected heart conditions or hypertension, excessive sleepiness or other symptoms urgently seek further medical advice, taking a PSG, or even hiring a CPAP machine immediately until properly diagnosed.

Screening Limitations

Home screening appliances are used at home without medical supervision. This means that the results could be skewed by incorrect use, damage to the unit, unusual breathing technique, and other factors.

Home screening does not monitor oxygen level in the blood, (although the new model does), heartbeat, REM, (Rapid Eye Movement), brain function, leg movement, each of which is used to confirm the level of sleep apnea.

Home screening will not detect other medical problems that could be present.

However it is cheap, convenient and sufficiently accurate to indicate the need for more treatment.

For a second opinion, see http://www.pulmonaryreviews.com/sep02/pr_sep02_AHIndex.html

A Sample Report:

Interpretation and recommendations:

If your test result is green-yellow (0-5) you are at low risk of having obstructive sleep apnea. If you are sleepy then you should investigate alternative causes of sleepiness with your General Practitioner.

If your test result is yellow-orange (5-15) this suggests you have mild obstructive sleep apnea. This may not require treatment but if you are sleepy or have a medical condition such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, or congestive heart failure the obstructive sleep apnea may be a causative or contributory factor, and you should seek advice from you General Practitioner.

If you test result is red (15+) this suggests you have moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. Treatment is recommended at this level of severity and particularly when other medical conditions might be present as stated above. It is important that you seek further advice from your General Practitioner.

Please note that although the ApneaLink has been clinically evaluated and proven to be highly accurate, these screening is to be taken as a guide only, and the decision as to treatment taken by your General Practioner.

Interpretation and recommendations:

This chart is the actual readings used to calculate your AHI.

• The top graph shows each breath taken during the study, i.e. all night.
• The blue indicates your in and out breathing.
• The light blue lines indicates hypopneas, i.e. when your breathing dropped to below 50% of normal.
• The red lines indicate apneas, where your breathing dropped to below 20% of normal.
• The thickness of the line indicates the time that these breathing disorders occurred. The thicker the line, the longer the time.
• The lower black line over the orange line in the top graph shows the snoring noise. No comment is needed.
• The black area is where the ApneaLink was switched on but not recording properly.
• The bottom graph shows the same information as the top graph, but greatly magnified.
• Instead of all night, a 10 minute period has been selected. The length of time of each apnea event can be seen by looking carefully at the minutes and seconds for the thickness of each line. The thicker, the longer you were not breathing properly.