Diagnostic Sleep Studies

Non-attended PSG at Home/Hotel/Hospital

The O2 SleepWell Laboratory, operating in partnership with the O2 Lung Centre, offers a specialized service featuring an overnight diagnostic sleep study utilizing the advanced Nox A1s recording system. This service allows you to undergo a comprehensive evaluation of your sleep health while resting comfortably in a setting of your choice, such as your home, a hospital, or a hotel. This assessment is a high-quality alternative to traditional in-lab testing.

1. What is it?

This is a comprehensive, unsupervised sleep study, sometimes referred to as a diagnostic Polysomnography (PSG), conducted outside of the traditional sleep lab environment. It uses a small, portable recorder, the Nox A1s, which is designed to be worn over clothing. Although the test is unattended by a sleep technologist during the night, it captures high-quality physiological data, mimicking the extensive detail collected during an in-lab study.

2. Why choose O2 SleepWell Laboratory for this service?

Choosing O2 SleepWell Laboratory ensures that you receive professional oversight and the highest quality of remote testing available. The lab is led by a Sleep Physician and staffed by trained sleep technologists who manage the setup and guidance. They utilize sophisticated, reliable equipment, such as the Nox A1s, which is known for its high-quality signal recording capabilities. This ensures that even though you are sleeping remotely, the data collected is detailed and accurate for a specialist review and personalized recommendations.

3. How is it different from a home sleep study?

Many standard home sleep tests (HSTs) are primarily designed for screening common conditions like Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This test, however, functions as a high-level diagnostic PSG (Level II capability). This means it offers full monitoring capability similar to a laboratory test. The Nox A1s system records significantly more complex physiological information, giving a deeper insight into potential health issues beyond simple breathing pauses.

4. What does it test for?

Because of its advanced capabilities, this test can diagnose a wide variety of conditions, including non-respiratory sleep disorders and milder sleep breathing disorders. Conditions diagnosed include obstructive and central sleep apnea, Narcolepsy, Restless legs syndrome, Periodic limb movement disorder.

5. How is the test conducted?

A sleep technologist will first meet with you to attach all necessary sensors, cables, and belts (like the respiratory effort belts). They will fit the compact Nox A1s device and the Bluetooth-enabled oximeter that monitors your wrist and finger. Once prepared, the device is configured to start automatically at a scheduled time, requiring no further action from you, so you can go to sleep naturally in your chosen location. The next morning, the device is simply returned for data download and analysis.

6. What are the pros and cons of attended vs non-attended sleep study?

Attended Study (In-Lab Setting, using Nox A1s)

Pros:

Real-Time Data Quality Control: The presence of a trained sleep technologist is the key advantage. The technologist monitors the recording in real-time, enabling them to make immediate sensor adjustments for improved data accuracy. During online recording, the Noxturnal App allows the technologist to check live signals, perform biocalibration, and conduct impedance checks next to the patient, ensuring signal quality.

Comprehensive Diagnosis: The attended environment offers full monitoring capability to diagnose complex and non-respiratory sleep disorders that are harder to catch remotely. This includes movement disorders and parasomnias.

Intervention: Real-time monitoring enables early intervention in cases of severe sleep-disordered breathing.

Environment: The controlled environment minimises disturbances for accurate results, which is especially sensitive for detecting mild sleep breathing disorders in patients with insomnia or women.

Monitoring Extensibility: The Nox A1s, when used with the Nox C1 Access Point, can conduct online sleep studies with synchronised video, allowing for real-time monitoring and review of signals from the control room.

Cons:

Location Constraints: Requires the patient to sleep outside of their normal environment, although O2 SleepWell Laboratory aims to provide a comfortable, private setting.

Unattended Study (Ambulatory Setting, using Nox A1s)

Pros:

Convenience and Comfort: The study can be performed in the patient’s chosen environment, such as their home, a hospital, or a hotel accommodating patient comfort.

Cons:

Lack of Real-Time Quality Control: There is no technologist present during the recording [Unattended PSG Intro]. Issues such as sensor detachment or poor signal quality due to patient movement or application error cannot be identified or corrected in real-time.

Risk of Study Failure: If the recording stops prematurely (e.g., due to low battery, which is checked during configuration) or if signals are poor, the validity of the recording may be compromised, potentially requiring the sleep study to be repeated.

Troubleshooting Delay: Any issues related to auxiliary devices, such as the oximeter pairing failing, must be resolved by the professional before the study begins, or potentially by the patient remotely restarting the devices, which may interrupt the readiness timeline.

7. How will the data be useful to the doctor?

The Nox A1s captures detailed data on multiple functions, including your breathing patterns (airflow, chest/abdomen movement), oxygen and heart function (oxygen saturation and pulse rate), brain waves and muscle activity (for sleep stages and movements), and snoring. This comprehensive, high-quality data allows your doctor to accurately pinpoint the cause of your sleep disturbance, ensuring a definitive diagnosis and the development of a highly personalized and effective treatment plan.