Validation of a photoplethysmography device for detection of obstructive sleep apnea in the perioperative setting

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for perioperative complications, but many OSA patients present undiagnosed. While polysomnography (PSG) is the “gold standard” for diagnosis, its application is technology-intense, time-consuming, expensive, and requires specialists, often delaying surgery. Thus, miniaturized devices were developed for OSA screening aimed at ruling out major OSA while measuring a lesser number of biological signals. We evaluated the accuracy of a photoplethysmography (PPG)-based device for OSA detection. 48 patients with established or strongly suspected (STOP-Questionnaire) OSA scheduled for surgery underwent in their preoperative nights parallel recordings by PPG and a classic polygraphy (PG) devices (SomnoLab2®). We compared the diagnostic accuracy of the PPG in diagnosing mild [Apnea-/Hypopnea-Index (AHI) 5–14 events/h] and moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI > 15). PPG and PG-derived AHI correlated significantly (r = 0.85, p < 0.0001) and high area under curve (AUC) in receiver operator characteristics (ROC) values were seen for both AHI thresholds (0.93 and 0.95, respectively). For an AHI > 5, sensitivity was 100%, specificity 44%, positive predictive value (PPV) 62%, negative predictive value (NPV) 100%, likelihood ratio (LHR) 1.79, and Cohen κ was 0.43. For an AHI > 15, sensitivity was 92%, specificity 77%, PPV 60%, NPV 96%, LHR 4.04, and Cohen κ was 0.59. In a typical perioperative cohort of confirmed and suspected OSA patients, PPG reliably detected OSA patients while showing some false-positive results. Such devices are helpful for preoperative OSA screening.