To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: AAO-HNSF: Sleep Studies Have Little Correlation to Quality of Life Outcomes URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/23BA36.htm Doctor's Guide October 7, 2003
By Ed Susman ORLANDO, FL -- October 7, 2003 -- Polysomnography -- used as the gold standard for evaluating snoring and sleep apnoea patients while they sleep -- may not correlate well with patients' overall quality of life or symptoms, according to a presentation here September 24th at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. Edward Weaver, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, University of Washington Sleep Disorders Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, United States, discussed whether polysomnography can be useful in predicting how a patient will react in activities of daily life. According to Dr. Weaver, "In only one variable out of 56 tested did we find any statistical significance." Dr. Weaver noted that he doesn't put much weight on this finding, however, explaining that when one has 56 possibilities for significance and only one of the items produces a significant result, the chances are that the one item is just a matter of chance. The one item that did reach statistical significance was the respiratory arousal index. Dr. Weaver, general otolaryngologist, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System at American Lake and Seattle, tested 54 subjects with polysomnography. "Polysomnography indices are the gold standard for assessing sleep apnoea severity and treatment outcomes," he said. "The relationship of these indices to clinically important measures of symptoms, quality of life and function, however, is unclear. We sought to determine whether polysomnography indices are associated with sleepiness, quality of life or reaction time before and after treatment for sleep apnoea, analysing data from a sleep apnoea treatment trial." The trial itself was supported by Gyrus-ENT. Dr. Weaver recruited 28 patients who underwent a sham surgical procedure and 26 patients who were treated for sleep apnoea with radiofrequency reduction of tongue and soft palate. The patients had an average age of 49, about 78% were men and their mean body mass index was 28. The researchers attempted to find correlations between the polysomnography indices, but Dr. Weaver said that, with the one exception, they could find no significance in either direction. "Polysomnography indices do not correlate with quality of life, reaction times or sleepiness," he said. Dr. Weaver noted that often the results of polysomnography testing are used as surrogate markers of outcomes for these patients. He said his study would suggest that "clinically important outcomes should be measured directly," and the use of polysomnography surrogates should be limited. [Study title: Polysomnography Indices Are Discordant With Quality Of Life In Sleep Apnea Patients.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.