Physicians release guidelines for diagnosing sleep disorders
By HME News Staff
Updated Tue August 5, 2014
PHILADELPHIA - The American College of Physicians, in a clinical practice guideline published Aug. 5 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, recommends a sleep study for patients with unexplained daytime sleepiness. It also recommends polysomnography for diagnostic testing in patients suspected of obstructive sleep apnea. It recommends portable sleep monitors in patients without serious comorbidities as an alternative to polysomnography when polysomnography is not available for diagnostic testing. The group grades the first recommendation “weak” with low-quality evidence and the second “weak” with moderate-quality evidence. “Considerable controversy surrounds the type and level of respiratory abnormality, the presence and type of signs or symptoms, and the most appropriate sleep monitoring device for diagnosing OSA,” the group states. “The purpose of this guideline is to address the screening and diagnosis of OSA by presenting a comparison of the effectiveness of the available diagnostic methods.”
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