Friday, July 22nd, 2011 at 1:57 PM
Nancy Collop, MD, director of the Emory Sleep Center and professor of Medicine and Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine
Nancy A. Collop, MD, director of the Emory Sleep Center and professor of Medicine and Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine, became the 26th president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) in June. Her one-year term as president of the board of directors began Monday, June 13, 2011, at the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS) in Minneapolis, Minn.
A renowned sleep specialist and recognized expert in sleep-related breathing disorders, Collop will provide leadership for the professional society, representing more than 9,000 physicians, scientists and allied-health professionals in the field of sleep medicine.
“It is a privilege and an honor to lead a professional society that has been the catalyst for growth and development in the sleep field during the past four decades,” said Collop. “As president, I will ensure that the AASM continues to promote the highest standards of medical care for patients with sleep disorders while also supporting the scientific and clinical advances that will lead to diagnostic and therapeutic innovations in the future.” Read the rest of this entry
Thursday, July 21st, 2011 at 8:06 PM
The global respiratory devices market is forecast to grow from $4.5 billion in 2010 to $7.1 billion by 2017, according to a new report available on companiesandmarkets.com. Read the rest of this entry
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011 at 1:33 PM
S
leep Group Solutions (SGS), a leader in dental sleep medicine continuing education and sleep apnea (OSA) screening technology is launching a sleep study club, like no other. Sleep Group Solutions has revolutionized the sleep industry by incorporating top level education, client support, innovating technologies, and now, a common ground to set the bar high in dental offices across the globe.
Dr. Michael Hnat, a dentist in Pittsburgh has been screening and treating his patients for sleep apnea for the past 4 years. As a dentist, Dr. Hnat feels the airway is his responsibility, and each patient gets an evaluation, whether they know it or not. “We screen each patient with forms, and a visual exam. If the neck, tongue, or even BMI is larger than average, it’s a red flag.” says Dr. Hnat. After obtaining many successful cases, Dr. Hnat is a leader in his community in the fight against OSA. When approached by Sleep Group Solutions to lead a study club in his state, Dr. Hnat was excited to even the playing field. Read the rest of this entry
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011 at 1:20 PM
SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/ BELMONT, Calif. and HYDERABAD, India, July 20, 2011 /- Ventus Medical is pleased to announce the Indian launch of its proprietary Provent® Sleep Apnea Therapy, an innovative, non-invasive treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Orbees Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd. will be the strategic market developer of Provent Therapy in India.
“India has a very high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea. Roughly 20% of urban Indian males suffer from OSA,” said Rajiv Doshi, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Ventus Medical and inventor of the Provent technology. Dr. Doshi is faculty at Stanford University and serves as Executive Director (US) of the Stanford India Biodesign program, a Government of India funded collaboration between Stanford University and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. “With a very large patient need, we believe that Provent Therapy provides a reliable and clinically-proven solution to treat the millions of people in India with OSA.” Read the rest of this entry
Friday, July 15th, 2011 at 9:54 PM
SomnoMed, Inc., the global leader in oral sleep appliance technology, will host a two-day educational course Aug. 5-6 in Chicago to help dentists successfully implement Dental Sleep Medicine within their practices. The SomnoMed Academy course will introduce dentists to screening and treating patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) through extensive educational and hands-on sessions designed to maximize the latest dental sleep medicine technologies and develop streamlined protocols.
Sleep issues are not new – in fact, the 2002 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) Sleep in America poll found that 74 percent of American adults are experiencing a sleeping problem a few nights a week or more, 39 percent get less than seven hours of sleep each weeknight, and 37 percent are so sleepy during the day that it interferes with daily activities.
Sleep apnea, considered a sleeping disorder, affects tens of millions of Americans and is associated with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack, stroke, memory/performance problems, depression and higher accident rates. SomnoMed’s SomnoDent® is a custom-made oral device that positions the lower jaw slightly forward of its usual position. This has the effect of keeping the airway open, preventing snoring and treating the serious chronic condition of OSA.
“SomnoDent is a unique solution for treating OSA that has unprecedented compliance rates among patients,” said Anthony White, vice president of marketing and SomnoMed Academy. “We look forward to helping dentists introduce this solution in their practices to help patients sleep better, which in turn creates an overall healthier lifestyle.”
Registration for SomnoMed Academy is limited, and participants who reserve their seat before July 15 will receive a free demonstration model. For more information about SomnoMed Academy, visit http://www.somnomed.com.
Thursday, July 14th, 2011 at 9:01 PM
New research that was presented at the 20th Anniversary Meeting of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) in Minneapolis quantified the efficacy of mandibular advancement splints (MAS) using a self-administered, at-home device to monitor snoring and sleep-disordered breathing.
The current study used the Sonomat, a portable, unobtrusive device that has sensors contained within a mattress overlay. These sensors measure apnea hypopnea index (AHI) by detecting and recording snoring, breathing, and body movements.
Results show that MAS treatment reduced the average AHI from 10.3 events per hour to 3.8 events per hour. The respiratory event movement index (RMI), which records more types of events than AHI, was reduced from 15.9 events per hour to 7.6 events per hour. Read the rest of this entry
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 at 4:47 PM
Sleep Group Solutions, North Miami Beach, Fla, is offering an introduction to dental sleep medicine course in August at several locations in the United States. The course is designed to teach orthodontists and their staff how to begin implementing new screening, diagnosis, and treatment protocols for patients suffering from sleep apnea.
The course features 2 full days of instruction and hands-on experience. Attendees will have the opportunity to take diagnostic records, work with permanent and temporary oral appliances, and undergo a full 8-channel Embletta X100 portable sleep study and view the results the next day.
The course is available August 19 to 20 in Boston and August 26 to 27 in Burbank, Calif.
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 at 4:33 PM
The diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders have come a long way in recent years. In the past, people who snored might be advised to sew a tennis ball onto the back of their pajama top. The “snore ball” would discourage them from sleeping on their back and might quiet their droning. Or a doctor might use the “dog index” to measure poor sleep: If your dog generally sleeps with you but by morning has left the bed more than half the time, it may be because you’re such a loud, restless sleeper that the dog has gone elsewhere for some peace and quiet.
How things have changed. Now, doctors with special training diagnose and treat more than 80 sleep disorders – from obstructive sleep apnea to narcolepsy – at special centers with labs where a patient’s every sleeping moment may be recorded and measured. Read the rest of this entry
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011 at 3:37 PM
Impaired brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is associated with risk for subsequent cardiovascular events in patients after myocardial infarction (MI). These patients often have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We tested the hypothesis that patients with OSA post MI will exhibit more severe impairment in FMD.
The researchers studied 64 patients with MI admitted to our hospital. Obstructive sleep apnea was determined using polysomnography. FMD was measured using high-resolution ultrasonography, with researchers blind to the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosis.
The mean age was 60 ± 11 years, and the mean BMI was 29 (26, 32 kg/m2), 84% of patients were men, 39% had moderate to severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] > 15), and 31% of the patients had mild OSA (5 ? AHI < 15). FMD was severely impaired in patients with moderate to severe OSA (0.8% ± 0.7%) as compared with patients without OSA (4.7% ± 0.8%, P = .001) and with mild OSA (3.9% ± 0.8%, P = .015). Linear regression showed that FMD was associated with log nocturnal nadir oxygen saturation (minSao2) (? = 31.17, P = .0001), age (? = ?0.11, P = .006). MinSao2 was an independent predictor of FMD after adjustment for possible confounders (? = 26.15, P = .001).
FMD is severely impaired in patients with moderate to severe OSA post MI, which may be partially related to nocturnal hypoxemia. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea may, therefore, be at higher risk for subsequent cardiovascular events after an MI. Identifying and treating obstructive sleep apnea may have important implications in the long-term prognosis of patients post MI. Further studies are necessary to determine if the presence of OSA would affect the long-term occurrence of cardiovascular events after an MI.
Sunday, July 10th, 2011 at 10:44 PM
The annual conference SLEEP 2011 was held this year in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Every year it is the world’s most important SLEEP Dental and SLEEP Medical event. This year over 800 delegates attended the dental sleep conference of the AADSM (American Association of Dental Sleep Medicine) and more than 5,000 delegates joined the medical sleep conference of the APSS (Associated Professional Sleep Societies).
SomnoMed had a strong presence in both events and reported the highest number of leads and professional contacts on record. It was a very successful event and again underlined the increasing recognition of SomnoMed as the world’s leading company in the Dental Sleep Medical field. Read the rest of this entry
Saturday, July 9th, 2011 at 4:08 PM
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) today announced agreement (PDF) on important fatigue recommendations that were developed by a joint FAA-NATCA working group which was established under the 2009 collective bargaining agreement.
“The American public must have confidence that our nation’s air traffic controllers are rested and ready to work,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We have the safest air transportation system in the world but we needed to make changes and we are doing that.”
The agreement reinforces existing FAA policy that prohibits air traffic controllers from sleeping while they are performing assigned duties. The FAA will continue to provide air traffic controllers breaks on the midnight shift based on staffing and workload. While on break, air traffic controllers are expected to conduct themselves professionally and be available for recall at all times. Read the rest of this entry
Thursday, July 7th, 2011 at 9:42 PM
- US medical giant ResMed buys UCD spin-out in all-cash deal
San Diego-headquartered medical device manufacturer ResMed has acquired UCD spin-out BiancaMed in an all-cash deal. Original investors including DFJ ePlanet Capital and Enterprise Ireland are believed to receive a significant premium on their €11m investment in the company.
BiancaMed is one of an emerging generation of young Irish medical device companies who are developing breakthrough technologies. It has developed a contactless, accurate device to measure sleep and breathing and combat deaths arising from the sleep disorder sleep apnea. Read the rest of this entry
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011 at 10:14 PM
Is your child overtired? Overscheduled? Overstimulated? Is the home chaotic? Is your child getting enough sleep? Do they have a routine before going to sleep at night?
It is most important to evaluate sleep problems. The ADHD symptoms could be the result of sleep apnea or too much stimulation from electronics in general – but especially before bed. (Electronic light exposure prior to bedtime can decrease melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep).
There are also a host of natural alternatives to stimulants for ADHD. During the day, kids showing symptoms of ADHD need extra, structured movement to help normalize energy levels. Such activity can include a regimen of walking daily for prolonged periods of time.
Parents should also avoid foods that rob the body of magnesium, like soda and caffeine. It’s a good idea to plan a diet high in natural magnesium, with at least one serving of a true dark green vegetable, like spinach, and also a handful of nuts. (For young children, parents can consider juicing spinach and/or slowly increasing the amount of dark greens in a soup or introducing fruits juiced with ever increasing amounts of greens).[ Read Complete Post By Dr. Robert Tozzi At Fox News ... ]
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011 at 9:57 PM
DeVilbiss Healthcare recently sponsored a randomized, double-blind, crossover clinical study which confirmed the effectiveness of DeVilbiss SmartFlex Technology, a new exhalation pressure relief solution to enhance patient comfort.
Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) represents the gold standard in the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). In recent years, pressure modification has become accepted as an important feature improving patients’ comfort and compliance. However, there has been some speculation that excessive pressure relief may compromise the effectiveness of therapy.
The study confirmed SmartFlex Technology to be equally effective to standard Auto-PAP therapy in that respiratory events and oxygen saturation during sleep were normalized among the participants. In addition, treatment with SmartFlex showed a lower leak rate, which likely contributes to the greater subject acceptance rates. As expected, both modalities resulted in improved daytime alertness, but improved daytime energy levels, ability to relax and nocturnal sleep were also demonstrated with SmartFlex Technology. Read the rest of this entry
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 at 11:03 PM
SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/ July05,2011/ Sleep Group Solutions (SGS) is pleased to announce the widespread launch of InterpStudies.com, a home sleep study interpretation portal. Home sleep testing has been among the fastest growing segments of the sleep and medical market as it is a viable and cost effective study, similar to the overnight PSG tests done in sleep labs.
Home sleep tests (HST), such as the Embletta is the same home sleep test device used today in many hospitals, Sleep Disorders Centers, VA and Kaiser Systems. These home sleep tests are user friendly, and frequently administered by primary care physicians, internal medicine physicians, dentists and other specialties. Since Embletta supplies many sleep labs with sleep study technology-sleep doctors are familiar with the data and diagnosing is seamless when studies are uploaded to InterpStudies.com. Read the rest of this entry
