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Article: Is portable home monitoring the future of sleep apnea diagnosis? It's more equitable, accessible, and cost effective.(Point/Counterpoint)
- Article from:
- Family Practice News
- Article date:
- May 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 International Medical News Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Obstructive sleep apnea affects an estimated 3 million American adults. It causes significant morbidity and mortality. Effective treatment options exist. All of this makes the current long delays in diagnosis via polysomnography (PSG) performed in the sleep laboratory simply unacceptable.
PSG in the sleep lab is regarded as the preferred method for diagnosis of sleep apnea. But it's expensive, inconvenient for patients, and generally not available in a timely fashion. Indeed, studies indicate that the average waiting time in the United States from a referral to a sleep specialist to a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea in a sleep lab is 2-10 months, although in ...