The SleepStrip™: An apnoea screener for the early detection of sleep apnoea syndrome

Sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) is a largely undiagnosed and prevalent disorder. It is associated with cardiovascular morbidity as well as excessive daytime sleepiness and poor quality of life. In the present study the SleepStrip™, a novel screening device is introduced, which is low cost and easy to use and is aimed for widespread use. The results of three independent validation studies, which compared the SleepStrip™ score (Sscore) against "gold standard" polysomnographically-determined apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI), are reported both separately and combined. Four hundred and two patients suspected of SAS underwent full polysomnography recordings concomitantly with the use of the SleepStrip™. For all samples combined, the correlation between AHI and Sscore was r=0.73, sensitivity and specificity values ranged from 80-86% and 57-86% respectively, and the area under the curve derived from receiver-operating characteristic curves ranged from 0.81-0.92 at varying AHI thresholds. Though not intended as a substitute for polysomnography, the SleepStrip™ may provide initial screening information, which may be useful in both clinical and experimental settings.