Initiation of therapy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a randomized comparison of outcomes of telemetry-supported home-based vs. sleep lab-based therapy initiation.

Purpose: Diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea are traditionally performed in sleep laboratories with polysomnography (PSG) and are associated with significant waiting times for patients and high cost. We investigated if initiation of auto-titrating CPAP (APAP) treatment at home in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and subsequent telemonitoring by a homecare provider would be non-inferior to in-lab management with diagnostic PSG, subsequent in-lab APAP initiation, and standard follow-up regarding compliance and disease-specific quality of life.

Methods: This randomized, open-label, single-center study was conducted in Germany.