Accuracy of peripheral arterial tonometry in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.

INTRODUCTION The use of handheld devices that assess peripheral arterial tonometry has emerged as an auxiliary method for assessment and diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the accuracy of peripheral arterial tonometry in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. METHODS Contemporary cohort cross-sectional study. Thirty patients with suspected obstructive sleep apnea underwent peripheral arterial tonometry and assisted nocturnal polysomnography concomitantly. RESULTS The mean apnea/hypopnea index by peripheral arterial tonometry was significantly higher than that by polysomnography (p<0.001), but the values of both sleep studies were significantly correlated (r=0.762). There was a high correlation between variables: minimum oxygen saturation (r=0.842, p<0.001), oxygen saturation<90% (r=0.799, p<0.001), and mean heart rate (r=0.951, p<0.001). Sensitivity and specificity were 60% and 96.2% (AUC: 0.727; p=0.113), respectively, when at a threshold value of 5 events/h. In severe cases (≥30 events/h), the result was a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity of 86.4% (AUC: 0.846, p=0.003). CONCLUSION Peripheral arterial tonometry is a useful portable device for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea; its accuracy is higher in moderate and severe cases.