TY - JOUR T1 - A novel postal-based approach to diagnosing obstructive sleep apnoea in a high risk population JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 44 IS - Suppl 58 SP - P2213 AU - Benjamin Prudon AU - Joan Hughes AU - John Stradling AU - Sophie West Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P2213.abstract N2 - Over 50% of patients with Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO) have Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), but the majority remain undiagnosed. Guidelines approve domiciliary sleep studies to assess OSA in high-risk patients, but availability of standard approaches remains limited. We used a 4-channel device (ApneaLink (AL), ResMed, UK) to establish a remote postal-based diagnostic service for patients with DMO; we describe our experience.Patients with DMO from English Ophthalmology centres were given written invitations to participate. Patients returned a free-post reply slip to us, and were then phoned to explain practicalities of the study. The AL was posted with pictorial and written instructions with a support telephone number, and an ESS questionnaire. Following a single night study, the AL was returned by a freepost service.Responses were received from 448 patients; 287 males (64%), mean age 64 (SD 10.4) years. ALs were issued to 423; 350 completed studies, 37 were unable to use the ALs, and 36 are in progress. Fifty-three patients required repeat studies (23 short duration, 11 poor quality, 19 recording failure), with 5 requiring a 2nd repeat. Additionally, 35 studies failed to capture either airflow or oximetry. Age or gender of those unable to complete studies was not significantly different compared to those who could. During 906 postal events with the national post service, 10 ALs were lost. Completed studies revealed: 4%ODI <5 in 83, 5-14 in 129, 15-19 in 22, ≤20 in 114.We have demonstrated that a remote postal-based diagnostic service for populations with a high risk of OSA can be successfully performed. This novel approach avoiding clinic attendance may be useful in clinical practice. ER -