Validation of a novel sleep-monitoring system for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea: A comparison with polysomnography

Overnight polysomnography (PSG) is currently the gold standard for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); however, it is time-consuming, expensive and uncomfortable for the patient. A micromovement sensitive mattress (MSM) sleep-monitoring system was developed as an alternative to PSG, however, there has yet to be a study verifying the accuracy of diagnosing OSA with this device. Therefore, the present study assessed the validity of the MSM sleep-monitoring system. Chinese Han participants who were suspected of having OSA were recruited between June 2013 and June 2014. The MSM sleep-monitoring system and PSG were utilized simultaneously overnight on each subject. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was measured by the MSM sleep-monitoring system (AHI(MSM)) and compared with that determined by PSG (AHI(PSG)), revealing a significant correlation between the two values (r=0.97, P<0.001). Bland-Altman plots also indicated good agreement (97%) between MSM and PSG. Using an AHI(PSG) cut-off of ≥5, ≥15 and ≥30 events/h, the sensitivity (specificity) of detecting an AHI(MSM) of ≥5, ≥15, and ≥30 events/h were 94.9 (100%), 89.9 (96.9%) and 90.3% (94.9%), respectively. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve, which were used to differentiate an AHI(PSG) of ≥5, ≥15 and ≥30 events/h in clinically diagnosed OSA, were 0.984, 0.982 and 0.980, respectively. Thus, the MSM sleeping system may accurately diagnose OSA in the Chinese Han population. Further community-based studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to confirm the validity of this MSM sleeping system.