Introduction

The gold-standard for the diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) has always been the Polysomnogram (also known as Sleep Study). This test was originally only done at a Sleep Laboratory and attended by a sleep technologist.

For several years, I had been administering this same test at the patient’s home ( or hotel as the case may be) instead of at a sleep laboratory. The main reason was that this reduced costs substantially and the results were just as valid and accurate.

Pitfalls of conventional Polysomnogram (Sleep Study)

However the traditional sleep study whether administered in a sleep laboratory or at home suffered from the same problem. Many patients told me that they were unable to sleep naturally due to the many wires and probes attached to the head and chest (see above).

Hence when I found out about the Watch-PAT, a patient-friendly device which uses Peripheral Arterial Tone (PAT) to help diagnose various sleep disorders especially Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and that this test did away with the annoying electrodes and wires, I was literally "hooked" on the concept. Furthermore, many studies had been done to validate the results to show that the data from the Watch-PAT is as accurate as an attended study in a Sleep Laboratory.The validity for OSA is no longer an issue with most academics.

In fact, the American Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) , a federal regulatory organisation , has confirmed in March 2008 that the use of the Watch-PAT  for home diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea will qualify for reimbursement from insurance companies.

Watch-PAT 200 system

Peripheral Arterial Tone (PAT) Technology

The Watch-PAT 200 utilizes Peripheral Arterial Tone (PAT), a physiological signal that mirrors the changes in the autonomic nervous system caused by respiratory disturbances during sleep.

The proprietary, built-in algorithm analyzes the PAT signal to identify sleep apnea events with a high degree of specificity and sensitivity. The PAT signal is acquired through a noninvasive probe attached to the finger during the study.

Parameters measured or derived during the night include oxygen saturation, heart rate, sleep and wake states, and REM and non-REM sleep.

A comprehensive,automatically generated report is available within minutes after completion of the study.

The Watch-PAT has the following features/ advantages:

·         Diagnosis, treatment assessment and follow-up of sleep-related breathing disorders

·         Minimal sleep interference

·         Non-invasive finger probes pose no patient risk

·         Ambulatory, comfortable and convenient for unattended home use

·         Advanced automatic analysis and digital signal processing algorithms

·         Automatic scoring presented in a comprehensive report

·         Worn on the wrist and has Single button operation

·         Records and stores data on removable media

·         Watch-PAT200 is USA FDA cleared and European CE certified

The Watch-PAT200 fulfills the unmet need for an ambulatory, reliable, patient friendly diagnostic evaluation tool that is accessible to the great number of OSA sufferers, and to the equally important need for a cost effective means for follow up of treated patients.

Read more on Peripheral Arterial Tone (PAT) Technology