Sleep Investigations Flashcards
What are the 6 main factors to consider when taking a sleep history?
▪️Medication
▪️Homeostatic
▪️Circadian
▪️Physical
▪️Psychological
▪️Environmental (incl. diet)
Ideally, how long should a sleep diary be kept for?
1-2 weeks
What are the benefits of a sleep diary?
▪️Determine what a typical night is
▪️Compare weekends and weekdays
▪️Discern patterns and variability
What is the most commonly used self-report scale of sleepiness?
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale
What is a normal score on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale?
0-10
What does a score of 11 or above indicate on the ESS?
Excessive sleepiness
What are the main problems with the ESS?
▪️Relies on honest reporting
▪️Doesn’t differentiate between times of day
▪️Scoring is uneven
What does actigraphy measure?
Motor activity via an accelerometer on the wrist. This can then be translated into sleep-wake data.
What can actigraphy be used for?
▪️Circadian rhythm disorders
▪️Insomnia
▪️Ensuring sleep isn’t restricted prior to Multiple Sleep Latency Test
▪️Measuring effect of medication
▪️Monitoring periodic limb movements
What can actigraphy measure?
▪️Motor activity
▪️Sleep times and fragmentation
▪️Sleep onset latency
▪️Wakefulness after sleep onset
▪️Activity levels before bed
▪️Sleep hygiene
What are the advantages of actigraphy?
▪️Unobtrusive
▪️Longitudinal (often several weeks)
▪️Can be used at home
What are the limitations of actigraphy?
▪️Usually only in specialist clinics
▪️Not validated with all sleep. disorders and populations
▪️Cannot measure sleep stages
▪️Expensive
▪️Commercial equivalents are unreliable
What does pulse oximetry measure?
Oxygen saturations and pulse rate
What investigations are useful in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea?
Pulse oximetry and respiratory study
How do you diagnose obstructive sleep apnoea using pulse oximetry?
▪️Visual inspection of oxygen saturation and pulse rate tracing
▪️Computer calculated oxygen desaturation index (ODI)
What does an ODI between 5 and 15 indicate?
Mild obstructive sleep apnoea
What does an ODI between 15 and 30 indicate?
Moderate obstructive sleep apnoea
What does an ODI of 30 or greater indicate?
Severe obstructive sleep apnoea
What is the oxygen desaturation index?
A measure of how many times blood oxygen levels drops by 4% of more per hour of sleep
How is pulse oximetry use clinically?
To screen for sleep related breathing disorders (e.g. OSA).
To determine if OSA is position dependent or REM related.
At what point during sleep is sleep apnoea most severe?
During REM because it is aggravated by the atonia
What are the advantages of pulse oximetry?
▪️Cheap and easy
▪️Can be used anywhere
▪️Analysis is quick
▪️Equipment is widely available across clinics, units and wards
▪️High specificity
▪️Can sometimes detect periodic limb movements
What are the limitations of pulse oximetry?
▪️Disagreement over what degree of desaturation should be used (4%?)
▪️Poor sensitivity
▪️Won’t detect apnoea if arousal occurs before oxygen sats drop
▪️Interpretation should be cautious
What are the four main components of a respiratory study?
▪️Pulse oximetry
▪️Nasal airflor
▪️Chest respiratory movements
▪️Abdomen respiratory movements
What are the advantage of a respiratory study?
▪️Can be done at home
▪️Widely available in sleep, respiratory and ENT units
▪️Ensures all body positions are monitored
What are the main clinical uses of respiratory study?
▪️Detect apnoea which don’t lead to desaturations
▪️Detect mixed apnoaes where there are central and obstructive elements
How would you conduct an inpatient split night respiratory study?
First half is diagnostic, looking for OSA
If OSA is found, in the second half you can do a CPAP titration to determine the right pressure needed for treatment
What is CPAP?
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure - a treatment for OSA whereby a mask delivers air at a constant, appropriate pressure to help them breathe
What are the limitations of respiratory study?
▪️Cannot detect impact if respiratory events on sleep
▪️Cannot detect respiratory effort related arousals
▪️Home studies arent widely available and probe to technical problems
▪️Cannot usually detect non-respiratory sleep problems as it can’t give insight into sleep stages or brain activity
What is WatchPat?
A device on the wrist that measures finger blood volume (PAT), HR, oximetry, actigraphy, body position, snoring, and chest motion
What can WatchPat be used for?
Detecting OSA, sleep fragmentation, and sleep architecture
What are the limitations of WatchPat?
▪️Expensive
▪️Poor insight into sleep stages
What is the gold standard investigation for sleep disorder?
Polysomnography
What are the three components of a basic polysomnogram?
▪️EEG (brain activity)
▪️EOG (eye movements)
▪️Submental EMG (upper airway muscle activity)
What other components can be added to a polysomnogram?
▪️Respiratory channels
▪️ECG
▪️Tibialis EEG (lower limb movement)
▪️Video
▪️Audio
What extra components may be added to polysomnography to investigate REM behaviour disorder?
▪️ECG
▪️Tibialis EMG
▪️Video