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Sleep labs are beginning to take advantage of the added simplicity, patient comfort and cost savings associated with wireless technology. If a sleep lab is considering going wireless, it is important that they have each potential supplier in for an actual run through, and preferably allow a 30-day trial at their facility. Some wireless units, for instance Bluetooth devices, have a limited range and may not be suitable for labs with long hallways without added tools. Anyone who has ever lost a connection on a cell phone knows that wireless technology is not yet flawless. If a PSG study is interrupted several times through the night, typically since the amount of PSG data being transmitted is so large, even brief lapses can disrupt acquisition, annoy sleep techs and may affect data interpretation.

If your sleep lab is considering going wireless here’s an important list of questions you should ask potential wireless PSG equipment supplier:

1. What frequency range does the system operate in?
2. How far can the patient be from the monitoring room?
3. How many devices can we have working at one time without interference (cross-talk) risk?
4. What is the battery life of the device under continuous use? You need to make sure the device can stay on at least a full night. (Wireless technology can consume a lot of power).
5. What happens when there is interference – can the device retransmit data? Can it run a “spectrum sweep” of the environment?
6. How difficult is it to change the operating frequency to move away from the interference?

This post draws on the experience of several experts at CleveMed and is an adaptation from “Wireless Polysomnography” as seen in Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy, June⁄ July 2006.