Performance Accuracy of Wrist-Worn Oximetry and Its Automated Output Parameters for Screening Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases the risk of perioperative adverse events in children. While polysomnography (PSG) remains the reference standard for OSA diagnosis, oximetry is a valuable screening tool. The traditional practice is the manual analysis of desaturation clusters derived from a tabletop device using the McGill oximetry score. However, automated analysis of wearable oximetry data can be an alternative. This study investigated the accuracy of wrist-worn oximetry with automated analysis as a preoperative OSA screening tool. Methods: Healthy children scheduled for adenotonsillectomy underwent concurrent overnight PSG and wrist-worn oximetry. PSG determined the obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (OAHI). Oximetry data were auto-analyzed to determine 3% oxygen desaturation index (ODI3) and visually scored as per McGill criteria. The logistic regression model assessed the predictive performance of ODI3 for detecting the presence and severity of OSA after adjusting for covariates. Results: Seventy-six children (34 females), aged (mean±standard deviation) 5.7±1.6 years were classified, based on PSG-derived OAHI, as no OSA (n=31), mild (n=31), and moderate-severe OSA (n=14). Oximetric ODI3 was identified as the sole predictor of moderate-severe OSA (OAHI≥5 events/h) (odds ratio 1.38, 95% confidence interval 1.15, 1.65, p=0.001). The best diagnostic performance was at ODI3=5 events/h (78.6% sensitivity, 75.8% specificity [receiver operating characteristic-area under the curve {ROC-AUC}=0.857]). ODI3 was also more sensitive than the McGill oximetry score in diagnosing moderate-severe OSA (78.6% by ODI3 vs. 33.0% by McGill). The performance was suboptimal for any level of OSA (OAHI≥1 event/h) (75.6% sensitivity, 61.3% specificity [ROC-AUC=0.709]). Conclusions: Wrist-worn oximetry-derived automated ODI3 can reliably identify moderate-severe OSA in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy, making it a potentially useful preoperative OSA screening tool.