LAUSR

Abstract Feasibility of conducting Type III Home Sleep Apnoea Test in Children: Gold standard polysomnography is often not a feasible diagnostic option in clinics treating children with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Instead, diagnosis relies on clinical examination alone, causing uncertainty and miss diagnosis. Home sleep apnoea test (HSAT) has been proposed but poses challenges with signal quality and interpretation of results. Objectives To test the feasibility of conducting unattended paediatric type III HSAT and to identify issues for improvements to optimize signal quality. Material and methods Parents were instructed in setting up the unattended HSAT and reported their experiences. Signal quality and causes of signal failure of recordings were assessed. Results Forty children were included. Mean age was 5.2 years. Predefined success criteria were met in 53% of recordings. Main causes of signal failure were nasal cannula, pulse-oximetry and battery failure. Sensor fixation techniques were developed and implemented during the study and hence signal quality improved. Seventeen (94%) parents reported HSAT to be either easy or medium hard to use. Conclusions and significance: Unattended paediatric type III HSAT can be conducted at home with acceptable signal quality. Signal quality improved considerably using simple sensor fixation techniques.