San Diego — As health officials continue to monitor the physical and monetary toll sleep disorders exact in the U.S., treating various conditions brought on by sleep problems has transformed snoozing into a sound business for a San Diego-based medical device manufacturer.

And the market of potential customers has yet to be fully realized, said officials at ResMed, a sleep apnea device maker with about 325 local employees.

In addition to announcing record revenues recently, ResMed is teaming up with a major competitor to educate the medical community in a $1 million campaign to help reach millions of undiagnosed Americans with sleeping disorders, especially sleep apnea. Read the rest of this entry

The SMILE Foundation, an Appliance Therapy Group company, has announced the inception–in conjunction with the Center for CPAP Intolerance–of a new monthly course offering to train physicians and dentists in the adoption and implementation of a consistently successful, effective new treatment protocol for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

The Full Breath Solution is a single-arch oral appliance for reducing nightly air blockage. Fully patented and FDA-approved, it inhibits the movement of the tongue–gently keeping the mouth open and the air passage free– without mandibular advancement.

Used in conjunction with an accredited sleep study (or FDA-approved home sleep studies), the Full Breath Solution has enjoyed success since its introduction to the dental community, posting a 79% drop in the Apnea Hypopnea Index and a 95% patient-tested success-rate.
Read the rest of this entry

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle crash.

Patients implanted with the ImThera aura6000 hypoglossal nerve neurostimulation device for treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) showed a reduced apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) and improvements in oxygen desaturation index (ODI), according to information released by ImThera.

For the study, 10 patients have been surgically implanted with the device. The target population for ImThera’s neurostimulation device, which is not available in the United States, is moderate and severe OSA patients who are noncompliant with or cannot tolerate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/ SAN DIEGO/ –ResMed , a leading developer, manufacturer, and distributor of sleep and respiratory medical equipment today announced the results of a clinical study confirming that patients’ compliance with sleep therapy increases when using ResMed’s new CPAP device. 

The clinical study of 50 patients suffering from sleep apnea showed an improvement of 30 minutes in average daily usage, from a mean of 6 hours 35 minutes on the patient’s usual CPAP device, to 7 hours 5 minutes, when using the new S9 Series. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/- A new cpap battery pack has hit the cpap market today, starting at $219.99. The newest cpap battery pack from Cpap Battery Inc can be used with most Philips Respironics and ResMed cpap machines.

The new cpap battery pack can be used for camping, traveling, hurricane season (power outages), or anytime a cpap user is without power. Cpap Battery Inc specializes in cpap battery packs and has produced a light weight, small, yet powerful portable battery to use with most cpap machines.

 The battery itself is a lithium ion battery, 12 volt 7.8 Amp Hours, weighing in at less than 2 lbs. The wall charger will allow a cpap user to charge the cpap battery between 110-220 volt, making it easy to charge on international trips. It only takes 5-6 hours to recharge at full depletion. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/- Agoura Hills, CA (PRWEB) September 10, 2010/The 10th season of The Biggest Loser premieres on Tuesday, September 21st on NBC, and Nationwide Medical, Inc. is proud to be working to support the good health of the contestants.

One of the health concerns related to obesity is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a potentially life-threatening condition in which a person has episodes of stopped breathing during sleep. The Biggest Loser provides contestants with comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for OSA. For the past three seasons Nationwide Medical, Inc. has served as the equipment and patient support organization for the CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines provided by Phillips Respironics. Read the rest of this entry

Patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea using home testing experienced CPAP compliance results similar to those of patients diagnosed with OSA using in-lab polysomnography, according to new research.

Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, compared sleepiness, sleep quality, quality of life, blood pressure, and CPAP adherence in 102 patients randomized to receive diagnosis and treatment either at home or in a sleep laboratory. Read the rest of this entry

As far as the feasible treatment of sleep apnea is concerned there is almost no substitute for CPAP therapy.

In case you find any symptoms of this deadly disorder it is always best to go to a sleep specialist and follow his instructions.

He will probably recommend CPAP, surgery, or oral appliance therapy. This list is not necessarily an alternative to CPAP, surgery, or oral appliances, but rather supplementary methods that decrease the probability of airway collapse. Read the rest of this entry

Next time you are traveling on an air flight and are annoyed by the guy sleeping next to you who is snoring, realize that there could be much more behind that than just an irritating sound, this person could have Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Apnea is a Greek word that means ‘not breathing’.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition caused by the tongue falling back and blocking the airway for anywhere between 10 and 90 seconds while someone is sleeping. This creates breathing pauses where the person is not getting oxygen. In OSA, these episodes occur from 15 to as many as 100 times each hour. This deprives one of the sleep and oxygen required to function normally and presents a dangerous detriment to a person’s long-term health. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/-What is the best sleep apnea treatment? It is not CPAP, according to a recent study that showed 60% of patients abandon CPAP use. At least it is not the best treatment for the 60% of patients who abandoned it. This does not mean CPAP is not the most effective treatment, what it means is no matter how effective a treatment may be, it is a poor treatment if it is not used. Oral appliances are an extremely effective treatment for mild to moderate sleep apnea but less effective for morbidly obese patients and those with severe sleep apnea. Read the rest of this entry

 [Press Release]/ July 29, 2010 – ROSEVILLE, CA,/ – Roseville dentist Preddis L. Sullivan DDS, a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, knows how effective an oral appliance can be in the treatment of a common sleep disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Many of his patients have found much needed relief through this simple treatment option.

New professional guidelines have provided further support for what both Dr. Sullivan and his patients already know: oral appliances, which are similar in appearance to an orthodontic retainer or a sports mouthguard, are an excellent treatment option for patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea. Read the rest of this entry

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can cause undesirable nasal symptoms such as congestion to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients, which symptoms can be attenuated by the addition of heated humidification.

However, neither the nature of nasal symptoms nor the effect of heated humidification on nasal pathophysiology and pathology are convincingly known.

 Twenty patients with OSA on nasal CPAP who exhibited symptomatic nasal obstruction were randomized to receive either 3 weeks of CPAP treatment with heated humidification or 3 weeks of CPAP treatment with sham-heated humidification, followed by 3 weeks of the opposite treatment, respectively. Read the rest of this entry

Under the watchful eye of Philips Respironics staffer Juli Lewis, Nickolas Kubit and Nolan Johngarlo

[Media Release]-On Saturday, June 5, nearly 500 Philips Respironics employees, volunteers, family and friends gathered together to experience the new manufacturing facility at an activity-packed open house.
 
The venue was the Philips Respironics Manufacturing Facility, Westmoreland Business and Research Park, Upper Burrell, PA
 
The 172,000-square-foot LEED-certified building is a model for manufacturing and workplace excellence. Opened in 2009, the state-of-the-art facility is devoted to high volume production of sleep therapy systems. Philips Respironics also operates a second plant at its main campus in Murrysville. 
 
The activities of the day satisfied the whims of curious hands-on types to music-loving Guitar Hero fanatics. Events included guided plant tours, product demonstrations, a mock production line where children and adults alike could build a sleep therapy (CPAP) device, face painting and balloon art, X-Box Beatles Guitar Hero, exciting giveaways and a delicious picnic lunch. More than 60 employees volunteered their time and talents for the day.  Read the rest of this entry