title: Validation of a suprasternal pressure transducer for apnea classification during sleep.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To validate a new method of evaluation of respiratory efforts during polysomnographic recordings.
  
  
  METHODS
  NA PARTICIPANTS: 26 patients with sleep apnea syndrome, either during diagnostic assessment (n=16) or under nasal continuous positive airway pressure (n=10).
  
  
  METHODS
  This method consists of measuring suprastemal pressure by a pressure transducer placed over the trachea above the sternal notch (Pst). It was compared to the reference method (ie, esophageal pressure) during the same polysomnogram.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis was based on 3,261 episodes of apnea, classified as obstructive in 2,556 cases, mixed in 347 cases, and central in 358 cases according to the esophageal pressure monitor. The concordance between the two methods was very good, with a sensitivity of Pst of 99.4% for the detection of apneas with respiratory efforts and a specificity of 93.6%. Twenty-three (6.4%) of the 358 central apneas were classified by Pst as apneas with respiratory efforts and 18 of the 353 central apneas classified by Pst were actually apneas with respiratory efforts on the esophageal pressure monitor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The suprasternal pressure transducer, which presents a good sensitivity and a good specificity for identification of respiratory efforts, can be used to classify apneas during polysomnographic recordings in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Unité de pathologie du sommeil, Service de Pneumologie, Chu Angers, France. N.Meslier@chu-angers.fr
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Meslier
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Achille
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kouatchet
authors.forename: Hakima
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ouksel
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Person
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Racineux
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000295:instrumentation; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D011312:Pressure; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000145:classification* / Q000628:therapy; D013249:Sternum; D014159:Transducers