Split-night versus full-night studies for sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome

Investigation and treatment of sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (SAHS) is placing increasing demands on healthcare resources. This workload may be reduced by using split-night studies instead of the standard full-nights of diagnostic polysomnography and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration. Split-night studies involve polysomnography in the first half of the night followed, if there is an abnormal frequency of apnoeas and hypopneas, by CPAP titration for the remainder of the night.

The authors' database of all patients prescribed a CPAP trial 1991-1997 was used to compare long-term outcomes in all 49 (46 accepting CPAP) patients prescribed split-night studies with those in full-night patients, matched 1:2 using an apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) of +/-15% and Epworth score of +/-3 units.

Classical symptoms of SAHS were the main reason for the split-night studies (n=27). There were no differences between the groups in long-term CPAP use, median nightly CPAP use (split-night 6.0 h.night(-1), interquartile range (IQR) 3.8-7.4, fullnight; 6.2 h.night(-1) IQR 3.7-7.0, p=0.9) post-treatment Epworth scores and frequency of nursing interventions/clinic visits required. The median time from referral to treatment was less for the split-night patients (13 months, IQR 11-20 months) than for full-night patients (22 months, IQR 12-34 months; p=0.003),

Split-night studies, in selected patients, result in equivalent long-term continuous positive airway pressure use to full-night studies with shorter treatment times and less healthcare utilization.