Oxygen desaturation index as alternative parameter in screening patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea

OBJECTIVES: Assess reliability of oxygen desaturation index (ODI) as an alternative parameter to apnea hypopnea index (AHI) in screening patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospectively two-year data on demography, anthropometric features, polysomnography (PSG) parameters [AHI, ODI, minimum oxygen saturation (SpO2), mean SpO2], and Epworth sleepiness score (ESS) were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Study showed significant correlation of ESS with AHI, ODI, apnea-hypopnea percentage of sleep period time (AH%SPT), mean SpO2 and minimum SpO2 with highest correlation being with AHI. A Cohen’s weighted Kappa analysis showed good concordance of 87.32% between AHI and ODI in classifying severity of OSA, with a significant R(2) correlation of 0.84 on linear regression. An ODI>20 has a sensitivity of 96.6% and specificity of 69.6% in diagnosing severe OSA. CONCLUSION: Good concordance between AHI and ODI makes nocturnal oximetry a less expensive tool to confdently screen patients with severe OSA.