Electrocardiogram recording as a screening tool for sleep disordered breathing.
OBJECTIVE
Transient changes in heart rate associated with obstructive apneas have been suggested for screening of sleep disordered breathing (SDB). This study prospectively compares the outcomes of an automated ECG-based SDB screening tool with simultaneous polysomnography.


METHODS
The previously-developed automated algorithm was applied to a single channel ECG obtained during standard overnight polysomnography (92 subjects) to obtain an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) estimate. Using AHI thresholds of < 5 and > or =15 to define absence and presence of SDB, respectively, we determined the likelihood ratios of the proposed technique.


RESULTS
The automated algorithm achieved positive and negative likelihood ratios of 2.16 and 0.08. Estimated and reference AHI were highly correlated (r = 0.88). Pathologically insignificant arrhythmia in some subjects had no discernible impact on the algorithm.


CONCLUSIONS
ECG-based assessment provides a simple but limited means of recognizing subjects with obstructive sleep apnea.
Heneghan
Conor
C
School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, Engineering and Material Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. conor.heneghan@ucd.ie
de Chazal
Philip
P
Ryan
Silke
S
Chua
Chem-Pin
CP
Doherty
Liam
L
Boyle
Patricia
P
Nolan
Philip
P
McNicholas
Walter T
WT
D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D004562:Electrocardiography; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology