NovaSom, Inc., the leader  in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) home testing and cost-containment solutions, announces the launch of its next generation MediTrack(R) cloud-based CRM  application. The MediTrack OSA management platform is designed to enable custom  processing of payer-specific medical policy, billing, utilization management and  therapy coordination requirements to efficiently manage home sleep testing, OSA  diagnosis and recommended therapy.

NovaSom’s proprietary MediTrack system allows physicians to order a NovaSom  home sleep test online or by fax. The platform provides customizable information fields for easier physician entry of payer required data, leverages payer  communication preferences, and incorporates payer-specific messaging into patient shipping and handling and device return logistics. The system also manages rapid upload of patient sleep data for interpretation by a Board Certified physician, and then promptly publishes the OSA study results for secure online and fax delivery to the ordering physician. Upon positive diagnosis, the MediTrack technology integrates assignment of payer-preferred therapy providers. Read the rest of this entry

The Snoring Centera”, the nation’s leading provider of minimally invasive, office-based treatment for snoring and sleep apnea, including the Pillar Procedure from Medtronic, has opened an office in Los Angeles.

Dr. Marc Kayem, a Board Certified Otolaryngologist with years of experience treating snoring and sleep apnea, will serve as Medical Director of the Snoring Center’s Beverly Hills location.

“I am honored to join The Snoring Center. Their progressive and innovative approach to treating sleep disordered breathing has improved the lives of thousands of patients from around the world,” said Dr. Kayem. “In the past, patients would have to travel to Texas to visit The Snoring Center. It is exciting to watch our team expand into new markets in order to provide minimally invasive, office-based snoring and sleep apnea treatment to more men and women in need.” Read the rest of this entry

Gaylord Sleep Medicine now offers a full Sleep Apnea Management (SAM)  program at their Glastonbury, Guilford, North Haven and Trumbull locations.

Previously offering patient counseling and education services, the new Sleep  Apnea Management program has expanded to offer PAP (positive airway pressure)  equipment specifically suited to individual patient needs. Originally designed  to improve PAP compliance, the program continues to offer PAP therapy,  one-on-one counseling and follow-up care to maximize the patient’s early  treatment experience and comfort with the PAP device. Read the rest of this entry

Bay Sleep, the West Coast’s largest and fastest growing independent sleep  center, announced the opening of its newest, state-of-the-art sleep clinic in Oakland, California. 

Located one block from Summit Medical Center, this is Bay Sleep’s 16th clinic open  for business. Services include sleep physician consultations, diagnostic in-lab  and home sleep testing and dispensing CPAP and other therapies for patients  diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and other sleep  disorders.

The growth trend continues as the company plans to open  their next full service sleep care facility in Solano County by mid-December.  Read the rest of this entry

St. Luke’s Sleep Medicine and Research Center is now enrolling participants in a clinical study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Apnex Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation (HGNS) System, an implantable device, to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

“Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which involves a pressurized mask over the nose, is considered the ‘gold standard’ for the treatment of sleep apnea, but many people have difficulty tolerating it,” said Paula Schweitzer, PhD, St. Luke’s Sleep Medicine and Research Center director of research. “This implantable device offers a new approach for those who have not had success with CPAP or other sleep apnea treatments.”

People interested in learning if they qualify for the Apnex Clinical Study may call 888-975-3370 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            888-975-3370     end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit stlukes-stl.com/sleep. Qualified participants will receive the medical device and care free of charge.

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a $3.8 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to study sleep apnea as a possible cause of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most commonly diagnosed type of arrhythmia, or irregular heart rhythm.

AF is characterized by an abnormally rapid heart rate that can inhibit blood flow, and raise the risk of stroke and heart failure. The five-year, NHLBI grant will enable researchers to study how sleep apnea, a treatable disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, produces functional and structural changes in the heart that may well contribute to the development of AF. Read the rest of this entry

Patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which the airway collapses and blocks breathing for 10 seconds or more, may consider adjustable oral appliances (OAs), devices that fit within the mouth to prevent upper airway collapse, as an effective first-line treatment, according to two studies conducted by sleep medicine specialists from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Md. 

The retrospective, peer-reviewed studies, published in the December 2011 issue of CHEST, the official journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, and in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM), the official journal of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, provide findings on OAs from the largest patient populations studied to date. The studies found that adjustable OAs are nearly as effective as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for patients with a mild form of OSA and are more effective than fixed oral appliances, particularly in patients with moderate to severe OSA. Read the rest of this entry

Snoring can have a major impact on those around you. Half of Americans snore, and the problem becomes more prevalent with an increase in weight and age, but it can occur in all populations—even in children. Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea or another sleeping disorder; however, it is one of the warning signs.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing, or apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes.

There are three forms of sleep apnea: central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea and mixed sleep apnea, meaning a combination of the first two. In central, breathing is interrupted by a lack of respiratory effort; in obstructive, breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite respiratory effort, and snoring is common. Read the rest of this entry

A new study presented in November at the American College of Allergy, Asthma  and Immunology Annual Meeting found that obese adolescents have an increased risk of sleep apnea or abnormal breathing during sleep.

Previous research has shown that obese children and teenagers are at higher  risk of health-related problems, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood  pressure and asthma. Children who are overweight are nearly 2-1/2 times more  likely to have asthma than those who are not overweight. Now, this new study  highlights how obesity may interfere with a child’s ability to have restful  sleep.

“Quality nighttime sleep is a key component for advanced executive function  in children and teenagers,” says Sushmita Mikkilineni, M.D., Director Pediatric  Pulmonology for Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) at Newark Beth Israel  Medical Center. “Untreated pediatric sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, can  exact a heavy toll on young people. Children suffering from sleep disorders may  be hyperactive, inattentive, and chronically tired.” Read the rest of this entry

A recent study by the American Psychiatric Association of Psychiatric  Services concludes a direct connection between sleep apnea and certain  psychiatric conditions. It also points out that the solutions for psychiatric  patients are just as simple as those for all individuals suffering from sleep  apnea. Companies like Rematee provide a solution that is both non-evasive and  ensures side sleeping.

Sleep apnea is a relatively common sleep disorder that causes patients to  stop breathing from 20 seconds to 40 seconds, due to a relaxed and thus  partially collapsed airway. Although it will not outright wake its victims, it  will bring them to a lighter stage of sleep, disrupting the rest and relaxation  needed by the brain, as well as other parts of the body.

Because the brain is so affected by this sleep disorder, much research is  being done as to how it relates to psychiatric conditions.  Studies are showing  that the effects of sleep apnea on certain mental conditions, including that of  Alzheimer’s disease, are actually quite prominent. Read the rest of this entry

Reggie White, Percy Harvin and now Shaquille O’Neal directly affected by  sleep apnea.  With over 18 Million Americans affected by Obstructive Seep  Apnea (OSA), it remains one of the most potentially dangerous sleep  disorders.  Large neck sizes and high body mass put athletes at a higher  risk of having the disorder.  Sleep Group Solutions, a dental continuing education and technology  company offers free screening and testing to all professional athletes,  including the NFL.

“The NFL Program was created to raise awareness of OSA by offering  complementary screening and treatment to professional athletes.  Our  affiliated doctors such as SGS Medical Advisor Dr. Atul Malhotra from Harvard  Medical School has already diagnosed a handful of athletes, and recommended either Oral  Appliance Therapy, or the CPAP.”  says Rani Ben-David, President of Sleep  Group Solutions. Read the rest of this entry

If you’re suffering from sleep apnea and if you are also a habitual snorer a robotic polar bear pillow might be something worth checking out. It has been named as “Jukusui-kun”, and was developed by Wasaeda University’s Kabe Lab in Japan.

The major objective of developing this robotic polar bear pillow is to help those who suffer from sleep apnea and heavy snoring by gently tickling the user’s face.

By tickling the user’s face, this would cause the user to roll onto their side while remaining in a state of deep sleep, or so it has been reported. Rolling onto your side while sleeping has been said to help reduce snoring, so while some of us find it hard to actively sleep on our sides during a deep state of sleep, this is where Jukusui-kun comes in. Read the rest of this entry

Bay Sleep, the West Coast’s largest and fastest growing independent sleep center, announced the opening of its newest, state-of-the-art sleep clinic in Oakland, California. Located one block from Summit Medical Center, this is Bay Sleep’s 16th clinic open for business.

Services include sleep physician consultations, diagnostic in-lab and home sleep testing and dispensing CPAP and other therapies for patients diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and other sleep disorders. Read the rest of this entry

The safety and effectiveness of sleep apnea equipment will be examined,evaluated, and determined with the help of a research study conducted by Winston-Salem Company.

Winston-Salem announced that  it has received approval to begin a clinical study to evaluate the  safety and effectiveness of the Apnex hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation (HGNS) System. The device is used to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

PMG will be one of the first medical centers in the country to participate in this study. “Many people who suffer from OSA are unable to tolerate existing therapies such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The HGNS System provides a new approach to the treatment of OSA. This study will help us  further understand what role this device could have in treating the millions of people who suffer from OSA,” said the study’s co-principal investigator. Read the rest of this entry

The American Sleep Apnea Association held the second in a series of conferences addressing sleep apnea in the workplace.

Following the success of last year’s first ever sleep apnea and trucking conference, the association expanded this year’s meeting to include rail, aviation, marine and transit as well.

The event was co-sponsored with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration.

Stakeholders from government, occupational medicine, labor, industry and the sleep community came together for two days of presentations on the health, safety and economics of sleep apnea in transportation. Read the rest of this entry