Correlation between Desaturation Event Index and Apnea Hypopnea Index for Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Objective: To determine if there is a correlation between desaturation-event index (DEI) and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) which may potentially facilitate screening and earlier diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

 Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted to compare patients who underwent high-resolution pulse oximetry (HRPO) during in a sleep medicine consult while inpatient, followed by outpatient polysomnography (PSG) after their discharge over a 2-year period at a tertiary care academic center. Demographic data, DEI, AHI, and oxygen nadir levels were collected.

 Results: Sixty-six patients (46 males, 20 females; mean age of 59.1 years) with suspected OSA underwent inpatient HRPO during their hospital stay, followed by a PSG in the outpatient setting. The strength of association between DEI and AHI was determined using a Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, which showed a statistically significant, moderately weak positive association between DEI and AHI (ρ=0.317, p=0.009). Multivariable analysis demonstrated a predictive value of 0.270 between AHI and DEI, when adjusted for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, reason of admission, medical comorbidities, and usage of supplemental oxygen (p=0.040). HRPO nadir oxygen saturation (NOS) also correlated with PSG NOS with a Spearman’s Rho correlation coefficient of 0.320 (p=0.013). Multivariable analysis showed a predictive value beta of 0.316 (p=0.033).

 Conclusion: DEI calculated through HRPO may be correlated with AHI. Although there is a correlation, HRPO should not replace PSG. Instead, HRPO should be used for screening purposes to help identify people in need of further workup.

Citation: Rahul Alapati, BS, Amanda Salvatore, BS, Jamie Tsao, BS, Maria Armache, Zhanna Fast, MD, Colin Huntley, MD. Correlation between Desaturation Event Index and Apnea Hypopnea Index for Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea DOI: https://doi.org/10.52845/JORR/2023/4.4.1

Received: 11 August 2023; Revised: 21 August 2023; Accepted: 01 Sep 2023; Published Online: 09 Oct 2023

Copyright: ©2023 Rahul Alapati et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License (BY-NC-4.0), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors

Competing interests: Dr. Colin Huntley receives research support from Inspire and Nyxoah. He is also a consultant for Inspire. All other authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants, participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Authorship: All authors have contributed significantly to this publication.

Corresponding author:  Rahul Alapati, BS, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University 925 Chestnut Street, Floor 6, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA Tel: 408-478-5681; E-mail: ralapati98@gmail.com