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home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
#11
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
(05-20-2014, 07:24 AM)Yveylise Wrote:
(05-19-2014, 11:34 PM)diamaunt Wrote: why spend 200$ on a pulseox test, when you can *buy* a recording oximeter for 40$? *scratching head* but, yeah, most certainly a no brainer.

Could you recommend one?

I actually bought one at Aldi grocery store for under $30. Works great!

Here are a few low dollar models:

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#12
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
+1 for what DocWils said.

Sometimes a home test is all that is needed, sometimes it is just the first step.

I really think it is the best first step in most cases.

Sleep-well
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#13
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
(05-20-2014, 07:24 AM)Yveylise Wrote:
(05-19-2014, 11:34 PM)diamaunt Wrote: why spend 200$ on a pulseox test, when you can *buy* a recording oximeter for 40$? *scratching head* but, yeah, most certainly a no brainer.

Could you recommend one?

sure, there's a line of them from contec, you want to get the cms 50d+ (not the d, but the dplus, or the cms 50e, or cms50f

the lower level ones will just show you the status at that moment, the d+, e, f, (and i) models will record overnight, and let you download the info into your computer, and print out reports.

I just ordered a d+ off amazon for about 40$, (I had an e model, but a 'friend' accidentially dunked it in a glass of water, (so he says) and didn't tell me about it. I'm probably going to order an f model soon from aliexpress in china.

if you shop around, you can find the d+ for 30ish. the e models are usually closer to 90, and the f models are a little over 100, the nice bit about the f model is it's wrist mounted, with a finger clip attached by a short wire, so it's probably less likely to come off overnight...
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#14
home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
(05-19-2014, 11:15 PM)herbm Wrote: Frankly, I think most people would do just find if they used NOTHING but the "$200 pulse ox 2-night home study".

Even severe apnea doesn't always cause desaturations. Many people will awaken, at least partially, before ever showing a peripheral O2 desat. There are still health problems associated with not getting into the right sleep phase, stress, and other effects.

Depending too much on a pulseox test raises the possibility that someone with severe apnea will say, "O2 good, no apnea," and not get the real sleep test they need.


Get the free OSCAR CPAP software here.
Useful links.
Click here for information on the main alternative to CPAP.
If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check it yourself.
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#15
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
(05-19-2014, 05:31 PM)diamaunt Wrote: a study of nearly 300 people has determined that home testing is as effective as sleep lab testing, and cheaper. (isn't it great when studies report the obvious?)

While I agree that the medical mafia is overly dependent on $leep te$ts, we need to be careful. I think we do need to make it a lot easier to get HST paid for by insurance, and we should use them more often. I'm worried that this will be used to put up a barrier for getting a full PSG when needed.

I do think a full PSG IS often needed, especially as a followup to HST or if there are problems detected with a data capable in home CPAP.

You need followup monitoring and adjustment with a good, data capable CPAP machine even with an in-lab sleep test and titration. I think monitoring the data is especially important without a full PSG sleep test.

The study in question involved "at least 3 nights" of followup with an APAP. I presume that the data from the CPAP was monitored.

This study also mentions "Type 3 portable monitor (Embla)." I means that it has EKG and something like a chest belt.

There are a number of lesser forms of sleep test, including some that sound suspiciously like quackery to me.

Also note that the study is partially funded by a home sleep test equipment provider.

BTW, *%$% letting someone charge money for access to an article funded with public funds!!!!
Get the free OSCAR CPAP software here.
Useful links.
Click here for information on the main alternative to CPAP.
If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check it yourself.
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#16
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
I'm new to the forum and new to a PAP machine, but I wanted to chime in here. I'd like to write more in depth, but I'm too damn tired because of the stupid experience I'm going through with my machine. So I need to keep it short(this really is short for my rambling brain lol) and maybe I'll expand later. I had a home test a few weeks ago, got diagnosed with OSA, and started my machine about a week ago. I thought it would all be relatively simple. It's been a hellish pain in the butt, and I feel way worse since starting the machine, and I already felt pretty bad before. It's looking like I, maybe, have a more complex case than just simple plain old OSA like I thought and hoped. I found out after the fact that the in lab tests really are MUCH more comprehensive. The home test was a tube under my nose, a thing cheap looking strap around my chest, and an oximeter on my finger. And mine was supposed to be one of the better home tests. In a lab, from what I've heard, you will be on an EKG, EEG, multiple bands around your abdomen to check different breathing movements and muscles, they will change your positions several times, and probably some other stuff I can't think of. I really wish at this point that I had just gone with the in lab test. If you're really strapped for cash, haven't met your deductible, and/or you think it will be very difficult to fall asleep in lab, then go for the home test. But if you have any way to make the in-lab test work for you, I highly suggest you go that route.

Also, briefly, 300 people is a really a pretty small sample for a thorough study. Keep this stuff in mind. Just one opinion.
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#17
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
Interesting questions. I know my sister, who is VERY medically savvy, tried TWICE to do the home test (in the early 2010's) and the results were "inconclusive" both times. Her family, and her, strongly suspected she had sleep apnea as she snores loudly enough to wake up everyone in the house. Also, our father had Severe sleep apnea.

Fast forward to 2014 - her hubby told the medical staff he planned to buy her a CPAP off the internet and go that route. The medical staff panicked, and what do you know, she got her sleep study and has been diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea. She is scheduled to get her APAP any day now. I don't know all of her numbers but I think her AHI average was 31/hr.
Evpraxia in the Pacific Northwest USA
Diagnosed: 44 AHI when supine, O2 down to 82%
Treated since 20 Sept 2014:: 0.7 AHI, Settings 7-15, EPR on Full Time at Level 3
Better living through CPAP/APAP machines!
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#18
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
Snipped from Medicare site:

Sleep study
How often is it covered?

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers Type I, II, III, and IV sleep tests and devices. Medicare only covers Type I tests if they're done in a sleep lab facility.
Who's eligible?

People with Medicare who have clinical signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are covered when their doctor orders the test.
Your costs in Original Medicare

You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after you’ve met your Part B deductible.

/end of snip

You can only wonder if a home test of any type other than a type I would be covered and if it shows >5 apnea events/hr. would it be accepted for getting CPAP supplies. I'm thinking I'll call 800-MEDICARE and get a specific answer. When I asked my sleep doc if there were any home sleep tests that Medicare would accept, he said, "None that I know of." That's another ambiguous statement and still leaves me wondering if he's just short on knowledge or is he protecting the local sleep labs business and his as well since he gets to charge for interpreting the tests. At the very least I don't think I'll count on him to ever be my advocate and will likely be getting me a different sleep doc for my future needs.
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#19
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
Now using Google as my friend, I find This:

snip

Home sleep test for sleep apnea approved by Medicare
Published on March 17, 2008 at 6:49 AM · No Comments

inShare
3

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the United States have given approval for new sleep test to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The approval means Medicare beneficiaries will be able to undergo diagnosis for OSA using a sleep test at home.

The new policy is a significant departure from current Medicare coverage as it expands continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for Medicare patients.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition in which periods of temporary suspension in breathing (apnea) occur during sleep and it is usually diagnosed by counting the number of sleep disturbances that occur during a specific time interval.

/end snip

Reference http://www.news-medical.net/news/2008/03/17/36356.aspx
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#20
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
Home test kits depends on what each hospital has on offer, but many, if not most, will have a small device that fits around your neck to take EKG readings from sensors attached to various parts of your abdomen, a pulse oxymeter, two chest bands that measure breathing patterns, and a nasal cannula to measure how much O2 is taken in and expelled. to add an EEG to the mix is only should there be a suspect Central Apnoea problem, which would be the next step should home testing not be considered sufficient. With the exception of the Neural net used in EEG testing and cameras to view sleeping habits, everything else used in standard lab tests is portable.
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