ResMed Sleep-Screening Tool ApneaLink - Manual (Page 2)

Why use ApneaLink?
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is recognized as a serious
health problem that impacts about 43 million US adults;
however, more than 80% remain undiagnosed and untreated. 1
The ApneaLink connects clinicians to their patients by dramati-
cally increasing the number of identified SDB patients through
primary care and specialty referral sources, thereby routing
more patients for diagnosis to a sleep center.
How does ApneaLink work?
The basic ApneaLink is a single-channel screening device
that uses a simple nasal cannula to record patient breathing.
It automatically analyzes and derives AHI, flow limitation and
snoring and later automatically generates a simple, easy-to-
interpret report with a color-keyed Risk Indicator for the
clinician to review.
With oximetry, the ApneaLink records three channels of
information: respiration, oximetry and pulse.
Simplicity, cost-effectiveness and state-of-the-art technology combine in the ApneaLink,
the ultimate choice for homecare providers, sleep labs and clinicians. The ApneaLink is one of
the few true sleep-screening devices available for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients, pro-
viding the link to an improved quality of life by cost-effectively testing chronic disease patients,
intra-hospital pre-op surgical patients, occupational health patients and other high-risk patients.
The ApneaLink readily transitions patients from referring physicians to sleep centers.
ApneaLink is portable, battery-powered and user-friendly and will streamline any user’s sleep-
screening process. A versatile tool, ApneaLink can be used in the patient’s home in remote
locations (or any location where patients are sleeping).
Three easy steps can link you to more OSA patients and, most importantly, provide them
a better quality of life:
1 Screening – ApneaLink
2 Diagnosis – Polysomnography
3 Treatment – ResMed PAP therapy
ApneaLink without oximetry
The basic ApneaLink is the perfect choice for
those who need a cost-effective, accurate
screening tool. Reliable and simple to use, the basic
ApneaLink offers the following features and benefits:
• Add oximetry at any time, no software changes
required—simply “plug & play”
• Automatically analyzes and derives AHI, AI and HI, flow
limitation and snoring
• Uses one software set for both ApneaLinks (with and
without oximetry)
• Auto-generates a simple, easy-to-interpret one-page report
with a color-keyed Risk Indicator
• Can be used to identify intra-hospital preoperative patients
at risk for SDB, thereby improving overall quality of care
• Enables referral sources to easily and objectively determine
whether to refer a patient for further evaluation
• Cost-effectively screens chronic disease patients, drowsy
drivers and other high-risk individuals
• Improves patient care by providing quicker access to the
treatment care path
• Sensitivity 100%, specificity 87.5% at AHI of 10 2
1 Young et al. State of the Art, AJRCCM 2002
2 Wang Y et al. Pneumologie 2003