Home polysomnography with self-appliable systems for the diagnosis of sleep disorders

Background: In-lab polysomnography (PSG) is recognized as the gold standard for differential diagnosis of sleep disorders. Due to various factors, access to this examination for patients is sometimes limited or associated with long wait times. With home PSG, an alternative method to measure sleep is available and has undergone further technical development in recent years.Objectives: Within the scope of this overview, technical developments in the field of home PSG with self-appliable systems will be reviewed and discussed in the current context of sleep medical care in Germany.Materials and methods: Currently available home PSG devices for self-application were identified via literature search and review of regulatory databases. Details on identified systems were obtained from the public sources and validated with information from the manufacturers.Results: Currently, four PSG systems are available that were developed specifically for self-application by patients at home. Three of the systems allow a direct measurement of sleep comparable to an in-lab PSG. Several studies were identified, which show that home PSG is technically feasible with success rates of 80% and a high correlation with in-lab PSG, which demonstrates the potential of a broader application to improve access to high-quality sleep diagnostics. However, additional studies are required to confirm the performance of the new systems in the German care context and further validate against established diagnostic tests.Conclusions: Home PSG with self-appliable systems represents an important development of sleep diagnostics, which could have positive effects on sleep medical care in Germany in the future.