Authors (including presenting author) :
Choo KL(1), Chan WC(1), To KW(2), Fung CL(2), Leung NMW(3), Lun CT(4), Lau RKY(5), Yang WY(5), Wong WWY(6), Au HH(6), Fu M(7), Chan WS(8), Chen CW(1), Lam WK(1), Ko CM (1), Lee PSC(9), Sin NC(10), So WY(11), Tang SYH(12)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Medicine, North District Hospital, NTEC (2) Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, NTEC (3) Department of Ear, Nose & Throat, Prince of Wales Hospital, NTEC (4) Department of Medicine, Alice Ho Mui Ling Nethersole Hospital, NTEC (5) Department of Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital, KWC (6) Department of Medicine, Yan Chai Hospital, KWC (6) Department of Ear, Nose & Throat, Yan Chai Hospital (7) Department of Medicine & Geriatric, Caritas Medical Centre, KWC (8) Department of Ear, Nose & Throat, Tuen Mun Hospital, NTWC (9) Central Nursing Division, North District Hospital, NTEC (10)Hospital Chief Executive Office, Alice Ho Mui Ling Hopspital, NTEC (11) Hospital Chief Executive Office, North District Hospital, NTEC (12) Cluster Chief Executive Office, New Territories East Cluster
Keyword 1: :
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Keyword 2: :
Central Government-Aided Emergency Hospital
Keyword 3: :
Level III sleep test
Keyword 4: :
Level II polysomnography
Keyword 5: :
Auto-CPAP titration
Introduction :
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is highly prevalent. Left untreated, it is known to be associated with metabolic and cardiovascular conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension (particularly drug-resistant hypertension), arrhythmia (particularly atrial fibrillation), coronary artery disease, heart failure and sudden cardiac deaths. To meet the demand for sleep studies, a centralized sleep service was launched at Central Government-Aided Emergency Hospital (CGAEH) in late 2023. Since continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard and first-line therapy, CGAEH provides diagnostic studies and Auto-CPAP (ACPAP) titration for stable patients referred from all clusters.
Objectives :
To evaluate service utilization across clusters and patients’ disease severity.
Methodology :
A retrospective audit was conducted for all admissions from late 2023 to December 2025. Disease severity was based on Respiratory Disturbance Index, ranging from mild (5 to < 15 events/hour) to moderate (15–30 events/hour), and severe (>30 events/hour).
Result & Outcome :
A total of 6,866 admissions were reviewed from late 2023 till December 2025. Procedures consisted of Level III studies (54.5%, n=3745), ACPAP titrations (36.9%, n=2531) and Level II polysomnography (8.6%, n=590). Analysis of diagnostic studies (n=4335) revealed a cohort (mean age 52.5 years, 66% male, and mean BMI 26.5 kg/m²) with significant OSA burden in mid-adulthood and a rising prevalence among females. Mean RDI was 24.5 events/hour and prevalence of moderate-to-severe disease was 62.2%. Highest number of referrals came from NTEC-New Territories East Cluster (1817 diagnostic studies, 41.9% and 1241 ACPAP titrations, 49%), followed by KWC-Kowloon West Cluster with 1252 diagnostic studies (28.9%). Both NTEC and KWC accounted for the majority of diagnostic test referrals (70.8%) while NTEC, NTWC-New Territories West Cluster and KWC accounted for the majority of ACPAP titrations (85.5%). In conclusion, the availability of CGAEH sleep service appeared to have filled the gap in the provision of sleep service in certain clusters. To meet ongoing demand, provision of longer-term resources and development of alternative service models are needed. Delay in diagnosis and treatment of OSA could lead to missed opportunities in mitigating the morbidity and mortality associated with this common disease.
