What type of monitoring is used during home sleep apnea testing (HSAT)?

Home Sleep Apnea Testing (HSAT) primarily focuses on identifying obstructive sleep apnea through specific physiological measurements that can be easily conducted in a home setting. The use of oximetry and airflow monitoring is central to this type of testing. Oximetry measures the blood oxygen levels, which can indicate whether apneas (pauses in breathing) or hypopneas (shallow breathing) are occurring during sleep. Airflow monitoring assesses the presence and quality of airflow through the nose and mouth, providing critical data on the patient's breathing patterns throughout the night.

Together, these components allow for the detection of sleep apnea events and the evaluation of their severity, making this type of monitoring practical and effective for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea in a home environment, where comprehensive lab-based assessments may not be feasible or necessary. The other options, such as comprehensive EEG recordings, cardiac activity assessment, and video recording of sleep patterns, are typically associated with more elaborate sleep studies conducted in a clinical setting and are not standard components of home sleep testing.