How Wesper Helped a Patient Make the Right Decision for Her Sleep Apnea Treatment
Meet Susan, a 53-year-old woman who has been suffering from obstructive sleep apnea and snoring for quite some time.
She was recommended for a frenotomy, a surgical procedure to release her tongue tie if her sleep apnea persists with oral appliance therapy.
But with so many options available, how can she be sure which one is right for her? That's where the Wesper test came in.
The Wesper test is a 3-component test that tracks the patient's improvement with oral appliance therapy.
By measuring the Apnea/Hypopnea Index (AHI), Respiratory Event Index (REI), and Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI), as other metrics like mean and minimum SPO2 and breathing events, patients can get a clinically accurate assessment of their sleep quality.
Susan completed five Wesper tests while wearing her oral appliance, and the data clearly showed that mild obstructive sleep apnea was still present.
The patient had an average AHI of 7.2 across five tests, with a maximum recorded AHI of 11. The average ODI across 5 tests was 12.5, with the maximum recorded ODI of 17.6.
The data also clearly showed nightly snoring, with an average snoring time across 5 tests at 146.8 minutes. Her maximum recorded snoring time was 176 minutes.
During the consultation with the Wesper expert, the patient confirmed that she was still having symptoms of her obstructive sleep apnea that haven’t improved after using her oral appliance for two months.
While her data did demonstrate significant improvement from moderate OSA, with some nights being within normal range, the majority of her tests still demonstrated mild OSA with habitual snoring.
Luckily, the sleep expert recommended she return to her dentist with her Wesper results and discuss her options moving forward.
The patient expressed that she was more comfortable pursuing the frenotomy now that she had data validating that her OSA had not fully improved with oral appliance therapy.
By using the Wesper test, Susan was able to get a clear and accurate assessment of her breathing quality and choose the best treatment option for her. And she plans to continue testing with Wesper after additional treatments to track her progress.
Don't just rely on subjective feelings or expensive PSG's, use Wesper for a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of your patient's sleep apnea.
Explanation of metrics:
- Apnea/Hypopnea Index (AHI) - the combined average number of apneas and hypopneas that occur per hour of sleep
- Respiratory Event Index (REI) - the total number o3. Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) - the number of times per hour of sleep that the blood oxygen level drops by ≥ 4% from baseline
- Mean SPO2: The average blood oxygen saturation score
- Minimum SPO2: The lowest blood oxygen saturation score
- Breathing events—Moments of increased respiratory effort, which include reduced airflow and prolonged breathing stoppages.
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