title: [Sensitivity and specificity of pulse oximetry in diagnosis of sleep-related respiratory disorders].
abstract: As there is a great demand for polysomnography, screening tests had to be established in the diagnosis of sleep-related disordered breathing. Oxygen saturation is often used as a main diagnostic criterion of these screening tests. In 207 patients (42 women, 165 men) suspected to suffer from a sleep apnea-syndrome we compared oxygen saturation (pulse oxymetry) with apnea-hypopnea-index (AHI, polysomnography). An AHI > or = 5/h and a minimal oxygen saturation < 90% and/or more than 5 oxygen desaturations/h > or = 4% were regarded as pathological. We found a good correlation of significant oxygen desaturations measured with pulse oxymetry and AHI (r = 0.85). Compared to AHI, pulse oxymetry was seen as a sensitive method (sensitivity 0.97) to recognize sleep apnea-patients. Coincidence of COPD decreased specificity of pulse oxymetry from 0.48 to 0.23 but had no influence on its sensitivity. 13 percent of the patients without further cardiorespiratory disease had a normal AHI (< 5/h) but a pathological pulse oxymetry. We conclude, that pulse oxymetry in combination with a positive case history is a sensitive method to recognize sleep apnea-patients. Not all sleep apnea-patients' can be diagnosed only by regarding AHI without taking oxygen saturation into account.
authors.affiliation: BG-Krankenanstalten Bergmannsheil, Universitätsklinik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum.
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Duchna
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rasche
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orth
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schultze-Werninghaus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010092:Oximetry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*