Accuracy of peripheral arterial tonometry in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.

Introduction: The use of handheld devices that assess peripheral arterial tonometry has emerged as an auxiliary method for assessment and diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of peripheral arterial tonometry in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.

Methods: Contemporary cohort cross-sectional study. Thirty patients with suspected obstructive sleep apnea underwent peripheral arterial tonometry and assisted nocturnal polysomnography concomitantly.

Results: The mean apnea/hypopnea index by peripheral arterial tonometry was significantly higher than that by polysomnography (p<0.001), but the values of both sleep studies were significantly correlated (r=0.762). There was a high correlation between variables: minimum oxygen saturation (r=0.842, p<0.001), oxygen saturation<90% (r=0.799, p<0.001), and mean heart rate (r=0.951, p<0.001). Sensitivity and specificity were 60% and 96.2% (AUC: 0.727; p=0.113), respectively, when at a threshold value of 5 events/h. In severe cases (≥30 events/h), the result was a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity of 86.4% (AUC: 0.846, p=0.003).

Conclusion: Peripheral arterial tonometry is a useful portable device for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea; its accuracy is higher in moderate and severe cases.