Evaluation Background: Home Sleep Testing Kits

Here's background for our Evaluations of home sleep testing kits, outlining the key considerations for making wise purchasing decisions. Learn how the technology is used, which specs are important, and what factors we test for. Also review our latest product ratings and ECRI Institute's data describing hospitals' interest in each model.

Home sleep testing kits are used to diagnose sleep apnea in the patient's home or a clinical setting. To be considered in this category a device must monitor respiratory effort, heart rate, airflow, and oxygen saturation—in other words, it must be a Type 3 device according the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) sleep-monitoring device criteria (which are described in the Technology Background section, below). Home sleep testing kits are a mature technology. Some recorders can capture additional parameters, such as body position and when the patient is snoring.

Major system components include:

1. Recorder

2. Respiratory effort sensor

3....