TY - JOUR T1 - Portable monitoring in sleep apnoea: the way forward? JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 749 LP - 751 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00180410 VL - 37 IS - 4 AU - W.T. McNicholas AU - P. Lévy Y1 - 2011/04/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/37/4/749.abstract N2 - Population-based epidemiological studies estimate the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) to be at least 2% of adult females and 4% of adult males in the developed world based on an apnoea/hypopnoea frequency (AHI) of >5 events·h−1 associated with excessive daytime sleepiness. However, a substantial proportion of these individuals are undiagnosed 1–3. Furthermore, it is very likely that these epidemiological data, now dating back many years, underestimate the current prevalence of OSAS given the dramatic increase in obesity over recent decades 4. Existing evidence points to OSAS as an independent risk factor for motor vehicle accidents, neurocognitive deficits, and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality 5–8. Substantial evidence also supports the argument that appropriate treatment of OSAS reduces the risk of these consequences 9–11. Since the diagnosis of OSAS requires both clinical assessment and objective monitoring of sleep-disordered breathing 12, there are major resource implications for the management of patients with suspected sleep apnoea. However, the perceived need in many healthcare systems to perform costly and labour-intensive polysomnography (PSG) in a sleep laboratory limits patient access to diagnosis and treatment 13. Commercially available and relatively inexpensive portable monitors might facilitate earlier recognition of disease and faster initiation of treatment, thereby reducing the healthcare burden associated with OSAS 14. Interest in the clinical application of portable monitoring devices is growing rapidly, and is being used as a mainstay approach to the management of OSAS in some settings. This interest is also supported by the lack of obvious clinical benefit when using full PSG rather than simplified monitoring, as evidenced in a US health technology assessment 15.An international workshop to determine the research priorities in ambulatory management of adults with OSAS was held on October 15–16, 2007, … ER -