The role of the WatchPAT device in the diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition affecting an estimated 936 million individuals worldwide, leading to a considerable demand for diagnostic services. Polysomnography, the current gold standard for diagnosis, is resource intensive and inconvenient for patients and healthcare providers. The WatchPAT is an unobtrusive device for home OSA diagnosis. It utilizes peripheral arterial tomography in conjunction with heart rate, oximetry, actingraphy, and respiratory movements for the diagnosis of OSA. It has good correlation with polysomnography for OSA diagnosis and also reports sleep time and sleep staging. The WatchPAT device has reported sensitivities of 81–95%, specificities of 66–100%, positive predictive values of 79–96%, and negative predictive values of 92% for the determination of the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI). It has also been studied and its use validated in a variety of patient populations, including children, older adults, pregnant women, and those with comorbid medical conditions. The device has also been adopted for use in screening for cardiac arrhythmia and central sleep apnea, although neither use has become widespread. With the emergence of telemedicine and an increasing demand for sleep services, the WatchPAT device can be a useful aid in OSA diagnostics.