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Assessment of ability to drive in obstructive sleep apnea patients using a driving simulator

Verwendung eines Fahrsimulators zur Beurteilung der Fahrtauglichkeit bei Patienten mit obstruktiver Schlafapnoe

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Abstract

Excessive daytime sleepiness, as a cardinal symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, leads to a reduced ability to drive, particularly among professional drivers. Alongside test procedures used in sleep medicine such as the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) and Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT), driving simulators that provide realistic simulation of road traffic can also be used to diagnose performance. The aim of this study was to use reaction time in a driving simulator as an indicator of the ability to drive in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Zusammenfassung

Exzessive Tagesschläfrigkeit als Leitsymptom der obstruktiven Schlafapnoe führt insbesondere bei Berufskraftfahrern zu einer verminderten Fahrtauglichkeit. Neben schlafmedizinischen Testverfahren wie dem Multiplen Schlaflatenztest (MSLT) oder dem Multiplen Wachbleibetest (MWT) können Fahrsimulatoren, die eine realistische Simulation des Straßenverkehrs gewährleisten, zur Leistungsdiagnostik verwendet werden. Ziel dieser Studie war die Applikation der Reaktionszeit im Fahrsimulator als Indikator für die Fahrtauglichkeit bei Patienten mit obstruktiver Schlafapnoe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Klinik für Pneumologie, Schlaflabor, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Herne, Hordeler Straße 7–9, 44651, Herne, Germany

    Martin Trost, Annika Machleit-Ebner & Martina Neddermann

  2. Klinik für Schlafmedizin und Neuromuskuläre Erkrankungen, Universitätsklinikum Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Peter Young M.D.

Authors
  1. Martin Trost
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  2. Annika Machleit-Ebner
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  3. Martina Neddermann
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  4. Peter Young M.D.
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Correspondence to Peter Young M.D..

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Conflict of interest

M. Trost and A. Machleit-Ebner declare that they have no competing interests. M. Neddermann has received speaker’s fees from Löwenstein Medical, Novartis, Berlin-Chemie, ResMed, Inspire, and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. P. Young has received speaker’s fees from Vanda, Medice, Sanofi Genzyme, Löwenstein Medical, Biogen, and Pharnext.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1975 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Trost, M., Machleit-Ebner, A., Neddermann, M. et al. Assessment of ability to drive in obstructive sleep apnea patients using a driving simulator. Somnologie 23, 36–42 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11818-019-0192-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11818-019-0192-x

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