PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - S. Sharma AU - J.C. Ratoff TI - Overnight oximetry as a screening tool for moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnoea DP - 2011 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - p3922 VI - 38 IP - Suppl 55 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p3922.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p3922.full SO - Eur Respir J2011 Sep 01; 38 AB - Background: With increasing prevalence of obesity, the burden of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) on public health services will increase. It is estimated that 4% of middle-aged men have significant OSA. Current SIGN guidelines for OSA recommend treatment with CPAP if the apnoea hypopnoea index (AHI)≥ 15/hr or oxygen desaturation index (ODI) ≥10/hr. It would be of both clinical and economic benefit, if a simple test like overnight oximetry could be used to screen the patients for moderate or severe OSA.Aims: To assess the sensitivity of ODI≥10 in diagnosing moderate and severe OSA. To assess if other parameters are associated with AHI ≥15/hr in patients with ODI <10/hr.Method: We retrospectively collected data from the medical notes and respiratory polysomnography studies (Visilab) of 250 patients, who were suspected to have OSA. ODI, AHI, Mallampati grade, Epworth Sleepiness Score (ESS) and pulse rate variability were recorded.Results: 102 patients out of the total of 250 had moderate or severe OSA. 77% of these had ODI ≥10/hr. Mallampati grade was recorded in 75 patients: 84% had grade >2. In patients with ODI <10/hr but AHI ≥15/hr (22.56%), 85% of the patients had Mallampati grade >2. AHI correlates significantly with ODI (r=0.82, p<0.0001).Conclusion: More than three quarters of the patients with moderate or severe OSA could have been diagnosed by using overnight oximetry. Mallampati grade >2 appears to predict the presence of significant OSA, even when ODI is <10/hr. However, 23% of the patients had significant OSA despite a low ODI and would have been undiagnosed on oximetry alone.