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home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
#1
home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
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?)

link to study at eurekalert
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#2
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
I certainly agree that for most initial testing, a home test will be all that is needed to diagnose and treat the condition, but I doubt sleep labs will be going out of business any time soon - there are always cases that will require further and more complex testing that may not be nearly so portable. However, that is fortunately far fewer cases than most people think.

(full disclosure, I insisted on a home test kit for me, I had no intention of spending a night in the sleep lab if it was not warranted - I was mostly thinking about my comfort, but in all honesty, I am pretty certain that you will gather better and more accurate data from someone sleeping in their own bed than in the lab - I was told after that my case was pretty pedestrian and did not need to be gone into in greater detail, but had I also needed a neural net and the like, then at could not have been done in the home environment - some of the stuff just ain't portable).
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#3
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
I think both have there place. The home test, of which there are several, can dx sleep apnea well. Variations on the home study run from issuing a data recording auto machine to coming in and getting sensors attached.

The sleep lab I have experienced has many more sensors than might be used at home. The value of the sleep lab depends on the person monitoring during the night; and the person who interprets it.

IMO: The downside of a sleep lab study is being in unfamiliar surroundings that may lead to poor sleep quality. Mine was rushed because I could not initiate sleep for hours.
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#4
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
Frankly, I think most people would do just find if they used NOTHING but the "$200 pulse ox 2-night home study".

Sure, it doesn't find things like complex apnea and technically it doesn't measure if you are asleep or not (EEG needed), but think about this:

If you have a PILE OF DE-SATURATION EVENTS, who cares if you are waking up or not? Probably you are, but that is likely TERRIBLE for both your sleep AND YOUR ORGANS or otherwise your HEALTH.

Gee whiz, after my cheapo pulse ox home test, I KNEW what the Sleep Study for thousands of dollars in the lab was going to show.

Any idiot could have predicted that. It didn't take a sleep doc and an entire sleep lab to figure out where this was going to end.

Pulse Ox, then put the patient on a (rented) APAP.

You pretty much know what you are dealing with in a day or two, 3 weeks if you don't let the patient use the software.

Sweet Dreams,

HerbM
Sleep study AHI: 49 RDI: 60 -- APAP 10-11 w/AHI: 1.5 avg for 7-days (up due likely to hip replacement recovery)

"We can all breathe together or we will all suffocate alone."
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#5
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
why spend 200$ on a pulseox test, when you can *buy* a recording oximeter for 40$? *scratching head* but, yeah, most certainly a no brainer.
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#6
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
I recorded myself with a camera and after 5 minutes was choking awake every 30 seconds. Guess what the sleep test showed, 120 OA events per hour. Not always that simple but at least it was fast enough that they could put on the mask and find the pressures needed to prescribe the obvious.
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#7
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
Sounds great! Will Medicare and private insurance companies buy you a machine based on a home test? That would be really swell. I don't think my VA sleep lab would, but then I haven't asked them.
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#8
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
(05-19-2014, 11:34 PM)diamaunt Wrote: why spend 200$ on a pulseox test, when you can *buy* a recording oximeter for 40$? *scratching head* but, yeah, most certainly a no brainer.

It's a good point, but at this point in the journey most people -- certainly myself -- don't know what to do with the Oximeter, or how to read it, or for that matter the $40 is pretty iffy.

For people who have no knowledge, no computer, or no clue, the $200 test is miles ahead of waiting for some $3000+ lab experience where most of us don't even sleep normally.

But yes, for some people (or followups) the sub-$100 Pulse Ox that you can use anytime you wish is even a better deal. (I have one NOW.)
Sweet Dreams,

HerbM
Sleep study AHI: 49 RDI: 60 -- APAP 10-11 w/AHI: 1.5 avg for 7-days (up due likely to hip replacement recovery)

"We can all breathe together or we will all suffocate alone."
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#9
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
(05-19-2014, 11:59 PM)retired_guy Wrote: Sounds great! Will Medicare and private insurance companies buy you a machine based on a home test? That would be really swell. I don't think my VA sleep lab would, but then I haven't asked them.

Probably not -- at this time.

But then maybe they should take another look at the economics - or maybe they did look at it.

$200 test vs. $3000 test -- insurance company loses money.

$3000 test that only 1 in 10 will take (80% have OSA) vs. $200 test that all 10 people will test, 5 of which have OSA.

$3000 vs. $2000, but now it's 0.8 need $1500 machine vs. 5 x $1500 needs that same machine.

So instead of $3000 + $1200 (1 person took test and had OSA 80% of the time) it is $2000 + $4500 for 5 people with OSA, or $6500.

Ooops, wouldn't it be better if we didn't diagnose so many people boss?

Just saying, follow the money....
Sweet Dreams,

HerbM
Sleep study AHI: 49 RDI: 60 -- APAP 10-11 w/AHI: 1.5 avg for 7-days (up due likely to hip replacement recovery)

"We can all breathe together or we will all suffocate alone."
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#10
RE: home testing as good, and cheaper than sleep lab testing.
(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?
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