State Rep. Robert Donatucci was elected to his 16th House term last week, but his career in office was tragically cut short in the early morning on Tuesday, November 9, 2010. Donatucci died in his sleep, his death caused by sleep apnea according to a doctor. Just about a week earlier, Donatucci had gone in for a sleep study, but he found the CPAP mask that he was asked to wear to be uncomfortable and did not complete the test.

“It’s unfortunate that Mr. Donatucci wasn’t tested earlier in life for sleep apnea,” says Philadelphia sleep apnea dentist, Dr. Kenneth Siegel. Dr. Siegel treats sleep apnea patients who, like State Rep. Donatucci, cannot tolerate or do not wish to undergo CPAP treatment, using oral sleep apnea appliances.

According to the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, somewhere between 18 million and 20 million people in America suffer from sleep apnea, and most of them haven’t even been diagnosed. Of those who are diagnosed and are prescribed treatment with a CPAP machine (CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure), fewer than 50% of those patients will comply with the treatment. Read the rest of this entry

People who sleep poorly or do not get enough sleep have higher levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, researchers have found.

Data from a recent study are scheduled to be presented Sunday, Nov. 14 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago by Alanna Morris, MD, a cardiology fellow at Emory University School of Medicine.

The results come from surveying 525 middle-aged people participating in the Morehouse-Emory Partnership to Eliminate Cardiovascular Health Disparities study on their sleep quality and sleep duration. The META-Health study’s co-directors are Arshed Quyyumi, MD, professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and director of Emory’s Cardiovascular Research Center, and Gary Gibbons, MD, director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine. Donald Bliwise, MD, director of the Emory University Sleep Program, contributed additional guidance. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/ BOSTON, Mass./  Sleep HealthCenters has entered into an agreement with Roadside Medical Clinic + Lab to provide sleep medicine services as part of Roadside Medical’s industry-leading Driver Wellness programs.

Designed to enhance roadway safety by improving the health of commercial drivers, Roadside Medical Clinic + Lab provides cost-effective and professional medical services including DOT compliant physicals, drug testing, Driver Wellness Programs, and now sleep services in the most convenient locations for professional drivers—both on the highway and in company terminals. Sleep HealthCenters will support Roadside’s sleep wellness program by providing education, professional diagnosis and treatment support, all incorporated into Roadside’s overall Driver Wellness program. Read the rest of this entry

Poor sleep quality, insomnia,sleep apnea, and daytime somnolence are common among recently deployed Soldiers and those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We sought to determine the prevalence of sleep complaints and sleep disorders among recently deployed Soldiers with PTSD.

The researchers analyzed the records of 80 consecutive Soldiers returning from combat and diagnosed with PTSD. We determined the rate of sleep complaints and prevalence of insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. We compared demographic data, psychoactive medication use, psychiatric disorders and concomitant traumatic brain injury (TBI) to determine if any variables correlated with increased sleep complaints or disorders. Read the rest of this entry

When sleep doesn’t come easily, some people turn to what they think is an easy solution – sleeping pills. But according to a Baylor College of Medicine sleep expert, sleep medications – whether prescription or over-the-counter – shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“All medications have side effects that need to be weighed whenever you take them,” cautioned Dr. Phil Alapat, assistant professor of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at BCM and medical director of the BCM Sleep Center.

Some of the most common prescription sleep medications are non-benzodiazepine hypnotics, like Ambien and Lunesta. These medications are not physically addictive and will not cause withdrawal symptoms when a person stops taking them. However, many people depend on them because they believe they cannot sleep without them, Alapat said. Read the rest of this entry

Eighty-one percent of hospital patients are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea, a Loyola University Health System study has found.  

The findings suggest that hospitals should consider giving patients a five-minute screening test to identify those who are at high risk. 

Sleep specialist Dr. Sunita Kumar and colleagues administered an eight-question obstructive sleep apnea screening questionnaire known as STOP-BANG to patients during a single day at Loyola University Hospital.

Patients were excluded if they were on a breathing tube, on sedatives or had an altered mental status. 

Of the 195 patients surveyed, 157, or 80.5 percent, were at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea, meaning they answered “Yes” to at least three questions on the questionnaire.  Read the rest of this entry

Active Healthcare, an award-winning industry leader in sleep apnea treatment, hosted a meeting of the Durham A.W.A.K.E. (Alert, Well and Keeping Energetic) support group Thursday, October 28 to share meaningful education and resources for managing this dangerous condition.

Participants learned how to deal with challenges in CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) therapy, an effective method for treating obstructive sleep apnea. Presenters Julie Shannon and Angela Martinez, sleep specialists with Active Healthcare, were on hand to showcase the latest equipment and perform screenings for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in addition to testing attendee CPAP equipment on-site. Read the rest of this entry

A Cornell University research study concludes that medical costs related to obesity are costing U.S. taxpayers $168 billion annually. This is a figure double the amount of the U.S. health care budget previously estimated.

The study was conducted by Chad Meyerhoefer, assistant professor of economics, in collaboration with John Cawley, associate professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University. The data was taken over a five-year period from 14,000 adults.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity increases risk for coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, a variety of cancers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems. Read the rest of this entry

New Zealand Sleep Specialists are calling for an urgent review of sleep services following the announcement that up to ten per cent of the adult population has sleep apnea, and the majority are undiagnosed.

“New Zealand Sleep Services are poorly resourced to deal with the current burden of disease. Most obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains unrecognised, which is of huge concern given the known consequences of untreated OSA”, says Dr Michael Hlavac, Sleep Specialist at Christchurch Hospital and Chair of the New Zealand branch of the Australasian Sleep Association.

“Sleep apnea is associated with serious medical consequences, including heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/ [ Press Release ]/ Fifteen specific safety recommendations were issued by the National Transportation Safety Board to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently, following its investigation into a fatal July 2009 tractor-trailer crash in which six vehicles were involved.The NTSB determined that the accident was caused by the truck driver’s fatigue, which was caused in turn by recent and acute sleep loss, disruption of his circadian rhythms due to the driver’s shift schedule and mild sleep apnea. Truck driver fatigue is one of the most common causes of truck accidents on United States highways. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release ] / Cephalon, Inc. today announced that Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for its medications NUVIGIL® (armodafinil) Tablets [C-IV] and PROVIGIL® (modafinil) Tablets [C-IV] have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Both the NUVIGIL and PROVIGIL REMS consist of a Medication Guide to inform patients about the potential risks associated with the use of these medications, a communication plan and a timetable for submission of assessments of the REMS.  The communication plan includes a Dear Healthcare Professional Letter, a Prescriber Brochure, a Pharmacist Action Letter and a dedicated REMS Internet Site. The introduction of the NUVIGIL and PROVIGIL REMS programs is consistent with the company’s commitment to safe and appropriate use of its medications.   Read the rest of this entry

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with neurocognitive and endothelial dysfunction.

However, it is unclear whether these two frequent morbidities of OSAS in children represent similar or different underlying pathophysiological processes, because they have never been concurrently assessed in children.

Consecutive children (ages 5–8 years) with polysomnographically based OSAS underwent cognitive battery evaluation (Differential Ability Scales and the NeuroPsychological Assessment Battery) and cuff-occlusion hyperemic tests for assessment of endothelial function. Read the rest of this entry

According to the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, about 18 million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, and roughly 80 to 90 percent of these people remain undiagnosed and untreated. Dr. William Kohler, a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, said awareness of sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea, has gone up in recent years. Though Kohler, also medical director of the Florida Sleep Institute in Spring Hill, Fla., said he doesn’t know if the disorders themselves are on the rise, it’s a distinct possibility.

Though people often kid about snoring and the like, obstructive sleep apnea is a serious problem. People with the illness can stop breathing hundreds of times a night. The disorder also can contribute to an increased risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and other problems. “Sleep apnea is nothing to joke about,” Kohler said.

A research was conducted with an Objective to describe experience treating retroglossal and base-of-tongue collapse in children and young adults with obstructive sleep apnea using combined genioglossus advancement (Repose THS; MedtronicENT, Jacksonville, Florida) and radiofrequency ablation of the tongue base.

The team of researchers included experts from Pediatric Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr Wootten is now with the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.

Retrospective institutional review board–approved analysis of 31 operations was conducted at the tertiary pediatric medical center. In all thirty-one patients with a mean age of 11.5 years (age range, 3.1-23.0 years).  Read the rest of this entry

Sleep disorders affect up to two-thirds of children with the Autism (or autistic) Spectrum Disorder (ASD) . Insomnias are predominant; however, parasomnias, breathing disorders, and movement disorders have also been reported. Recent work in ASD genetics suggests a relationship between polymorphisms in the biological clock genes, and autism.

Although the effects of sleep disorders are difficult to separate from the effects of neurodevelopmental disability in general, insomnia is important to treat because it may exacerbate challenging behaviors, hyperactivity, cognitive deficits, headaches, and seizure frequency.

For sleep difficulties related to disrupted circadian cycles, it may be helpful to limit daytime sleeping and caffeine intake and to ensure regular exercise. Exogenous treatment with melatonin may decrease time to sleep onset.

Psychiatric comorbidities, such as anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and medical comorbidities, such as epilepsy, sleep disorders, and Tourette syndrome, are frequent in ASD.