Envelope analysis of the airflow signal to improve polysomnographic assessment of sleep disordered breathing.
OBJECTIVE
Given the detailed respiratory waveform signal provided by the nasal cannula in polysomnographic (PSG) studies, to quantify sleep breathing disturbances by extracting a continuous variable based on the coefficient of variation of the envelope of that signal.


METHODS
Application of an algorithm for envelope analysis to standard nasal cannula signal from actual polysomnographic studies.


METHODS
PSG recordings from a sleep disorders center were analyzed by an algorithm developed on the Igor scientific data analysis software.


METHODS
Recordings representative of different degrees of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) severity or illustrative of the covariation between breathing and particularly relevant factors and variables.


METHODS
The method calculated the coefficient of variation of the envelope for each 30-second epoch. The normalized version of that coefficient was defined as the respiratory disturbance variable (RDV). The method outcome was the all-night set of RDV values represented as a time series.


RESULTS
RDV quantitatively reflected departure from normal sinusoidal breathing at each epoch, providing an intensity scale for disordered breathing. RDV dynamics configured itself in recognizable patterns for the airflow limitation (e.g., in UARS) and the apnea/hypopnea regimes. RDV reliably highlighted clinically meaningful associations with staging, body position, oximetry, or CPAP titration.


CONCLUSIONS
Respiratory disturbance variable can assess sleep breathing disturbances as a gradual phenomenon while providing a comprehensible and detailed representation of its dynamics. It may thus improve clinical diagnosis and provide a revealing descriptive tool for mechanistic sleep disordered breathing modeling. Respiratory disturbance variable may contribute to attaining simplified screening methodologies, novel diagnostic criteria, and insightful research tools.
Laboratorio de Sueño y Cronobiología, Programa de Fisiología y Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Javier A
JA
Díaz
Laboratorio de Sueño y Cronobiología, Programa de Fisiología y Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
José M
JM
Arancibia
Laboratorio de Sueño y Cronobiología, Programa de Fisiología y Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Alejandro
A
Bassi
Laboratorio de Sueño y Cronobiología, Programa de Fisiología y Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Ennio A
EA
Vivaldi
D000465:Algorithms; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D006801:Humans; D010092:Oximetry; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000379:methods*; D012119:Respiration; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012984:Software
Signal envelope analysis; medical informatics applications; nasal cannula / pressure; polysomnography; sleep apnea syndromes; transducer; upper airway resistance sleep apnea syndrome