Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children is common. Interest in sleep tests, such as polygraphy (PG), which can be performed in a non-attended setting, are gaining is increasing. PG has, however, been little studied in children with co-morbidities other than obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and in particular, if performed in a non-attended setting. We report on the feasibility and interpretability of implementing PGs at home versus in hospital.
PGs were analyzed according to the setting (hospital or home) and sequence (initial or subsequent) in which they were performed. Non-interpretability was defined as absent or unreliable oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO ₂ ), or airflow and respiratory inductance plethysmography flow trace signals during the time analyzed.
We retrospectively analyzed 400 PGs; 332/400 were initial PGs. Indications were: suspected OSA (65%), obesity (13%), craniofacial malformations (5%), neuromuscular disease (4%), and other (13%) which included prematurity. 16% were recorded in hospitals and 84% at home. The mean age was 5.7 ± 5.8 years and 7.3 ± 4.5 years for the hospital and home groups, respectively. Interpretability was similar in both settings (87%). In the 68 subsequent PGs, interpretability was 84% when performed for follow-up and 96% when repeated for non-interpretability. Non-interpretability was predominantly due to a failure of the SpO ₂ channel.
PG performed at home is both feasible and interpretable for a variety of indications. Non-interpretability was not predictable in association with the setting, anthropometric data, or indication, independently of the sequence (initial or subsequent PG) in which the parameters were analyzed.