THE AIRWAY IMPERATIVE: Diagnosis and Sleep Testing

For clarity’s sake, let’s begin by acknowledging that “screening” is not the same as a “diagnosis.” Screening is the first step in the airway health management process and is targeted at assessing the need for a sleep test – a polysomnogram.
That being said, the only way to achieve an accurate, viable airway diagnosis is to order a sleep test.
Previously only performed in a hospital setting, sleep tests were extremely comprehensive (and are still considered one of the most comprehensive physical tests available today). They were also frequently considered by participants to be counter-conducive to actual sleep. Strange bed, ever present technicians, wires and terminals from head to toe — and a hospital sleep test often gave rise to the question, “Did I actually get enough sleep to even be evaluated?” Add to the mix that hospital sleep tests were more expensive and less accessible and you have a mixed bag at best. But not that long ago, they were the only game in town.
Things have changed. Home sleep tests are now considered technologically sound enough and accurate enough to determine whether or not a patient suffers from sleep apnea.
