The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has published a clinical guidelines for physicians diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea, reports Healio.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) made six essential recommendations for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA):

  • Adults without an increased risk for non-obstructive sleep-disordered breathing but with an increased risk for OSA should be tested with polysomnography or home sleep apnea testing with a technically adequate device;
  • Polysomnography should be conducted in symptomatic patients when a single home sleep apnea test is negative;
  • Patients with significant cardiorespiratory disease, neuromuscular disease with respiratory muscle impairment, awake hypoventilation or high risk of sleep-related hypoventilation, chronic opioid medication use or severe insomnia should be tested with polysomnography, rather than home sleep apnea testing;
  • A split-night diagnostic protocol, instead of a full-night diagnostic protocol for polysomnography should be used when clinically appropriate;
  • Symptomatic patients should undergo a second polysomnogram when the initial polysomnogram is negative and OSA is still clinically suspected; and
  • Clinical tools, questionnaires and prediction algorithms should not be used in the absence of objective sleep testing.

In addition, AASM provided two good practice statements that establish the basis for appropriate and effective diagnosis of OSA.

Read more at www.healio.com