SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/ FRANKLIN, Mass./–In accordance with the new guidelines issued by the American Society of Anesthesiologists to improve the perioperative care and reduce the risk of adverse outcomes in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Itamar-Medical’s WatchPAT device for home sleep testing is already being used to effectively deliver fast, patient-satisfying results for pre-operative sleep testing.

“Patients with undiagnosed sleep apnea have a higher complication rate, longer recovery, and poorer pain control,” said Dr. Marvin Tark, head of the Pain Management Section and former Chairman of Anesthesia at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, Marietta, Georgia. “WatchPAT provides the information we need to monitor and manage the patient better in both the surgical and the post-operative period, offering the best possible high-quality medical care. Read the rest of this entry

Common eye disorder called floppy eyelid syndrome is strongly linked with Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a new study finds.

“This is very significant,” says researchers at the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.  “When doctors diagnose one condition in a patient they should also look for the other, in this case OSA.”

The study tracked 102 patients with floppy eyelid syndrome (FES) from 1995 through 2008. People with FES have rubbery-textured upper eyelids that may easily flip up during sleep, which can lead to irritated eyes and or discharge. Read the rest of this entry

In conjunction with the Raritan Bay Medical Center, SGS, Dr. David Goldstein, and Mr. John Nadeau offer a comprehensive training session to Dentists in the New Jersey area to create a referral network of skilled professionals to diagnose and offer dental treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

The goal of this seminar is the same as all SGS courses: to provide the attending Dentist with the background knowledge and training needed to begin treating obstructive sleep apnea immediately. Read the rest of this entry

New local coverage determination (LCD) adherence criteria for continued reimbursement of continuous positive airway pressure after 90 days among patients with obstructive sleep apnea may have a negative impact on their clinical care, according to research published in the October issue of Chest. 

Mark S. Aloia, Ph.D., of National Jewish Health in Denver, and colleagues evaluated information from a retrospective database of 150 patients who received neuropsychologic testing before treatment as well as three and six months after treatment. Patients were categorized using the new LCD criteria.  Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/- Atlanta, GA (Vocus) October 6, 2010/Snoring is a sleep depriving problem affecting 40% of men and 23% of women according to the National Sleep Foundation. Many couples sleep apart due to loud, habitual snoring. This can lead to a lack of intimacy and disharmony in the relationship. These problems lead many people to seek out snoring cures that are safe, effective, and permanent. These treatments and more are offered from the finest board-certified physicians in the country at the new location of the Atlanta Snoring Institute. Located in Stockbridge, GA, the new office is a twenty minutes drive from downtown Atlanta, conveniently offering snoring and sleep apnea treatment to residents living south of the metropolitan area. Read the rest of this entry

A new study, derived from novel sleep research conducted by University of California, San Diego researchers 14 years earlier, suggests that the secret to a long life may come with just enough sleep. Less than five hours a night is probably not enough; eight hours is probably too much.

A team of scientists, headed by Daniel F. Kripke, MD, professor emeritus of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine, revisited original research conducted between 1995 and 1999. In that earlier study, part of the Women’s Health Initiative, Kripke and colleagues had monitored 459 women living in San Diego ( ranging in age from 50 to 81 ) to determine if sleep duration could be associated with mortality. Fourteen years later, they returned to see who was still alive and well. Read the rest of this entry

OSA is the fragmented, disturbed sleep, causing a person’s breathing to be interrupted hundreds of times a night, resulting in dramatic changes within the body.

Consequently, it creates an unhealthy and dangerous domino effect: Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneadisorder/[Press Release]/ — It is estimated that over 28 million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), with approximately 20 million more going undiagnosed and untreated. The health-related cost burden for undiagnosed OSA in the United States—a dangerous condition that can lead to a variety of heart ailments, stroke, and death—is estimated at $3.4 billion.

The latest figures compiled by Frost & Sullivan in 2008 show revenues in the U.S. sleep apnea diagnostic and therapeutic market totaling approximately $1.35 billion, with a 16.2% growth rate. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/GLEN BURNIE, Md., / Sleep Solutions, the pioneer and largest national service provider of home sleep tests for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has changed its name to NovaSom, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

The company changed its name to better reflect its history and commitment to providing the most accurate and cost effective home tests on the market for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), said Dr. Richard Hassett, the chief executive officer of NovaSom. Read the rest of this entry

Philips Respironics and ResMed Inc. are joined by Cephalon Inc. to fund second year of Continuing Medical Education program

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/Murrysville, Pa., San Diego, Ca., and Frazer, Pa. USA – Philips Respironics, a unit of Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI), ResMed Inc. (NYSE: RMD and ASX: RMD.AX), and biopharmaceutical company, Cephalon Inc. (NASDAQ: CEPH), are supporting efforts  to bring untreated sleep apnea to the forefront of discussion among primary care physicians (PCP). As the program enters its second year, Cephalon joins the device makers in responding to educational grant requests to fund a series of independent continuing medical education (CME) activities on this important topic.
 
“We are committed to lending our support to the sleep community to further awareness and physician understanding of the medical consequences of untreated sleep apnea,” explains Eoghan O’Lionaird, General Manager-Sleep for Philips Respironics. “CME programs are a critical component in bridging the gap for this growing public health issue.” Read the rest of this entry

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder is defined by brief interruptions of breathing while you are asleep. This is a very serious condition, because it can result in high blood pressure, heart problems and stroke.

Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

The warning signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include: Read the rest of this entry

In a recently concluded research the investigators aimed to evaluate the predictive value of anthropometric measurements and self-reported symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in a large number of not yet diagnosed or treated patients. Commonly used clinical indices were used to derive a prediction formula that could identify patients at low and high risk for OSAS.

Two thousand six hundred ninety patients with suspected OSAS were enrolled.Researchers obtained weight; height; neck, waist, and hip circumference; and a measure of subjective sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale-ESS) prior to diagnostic polysomnography. Excessive daytime sleepiness severity (EDS) was coded as follows: 0 for ESS???3 (normal), 1 for ESS score 4-9 (normal to mild sleepiness), 2 for score 10-16 (moderate to severe sleepiness), and 3 for score >16 (severe sleepiness). Multivariate linear and logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and derive a prediction formula. Read the rest of this entry

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

In 2006, an estimated 35,263 surgeries for sleep apnea were performed in inpatient and outpatient settings in the United States, including 33,087 palate, 6,561 hypopharyngeal, and 1,378 maxillomandibular advancement procedures. Compared to hypopharyngeal surgery, the odds of undergoing isolated palate surgery were higher for younger (age 18-39 years) and black patients, but were not associated with other variables.

In a presentation at the 2010 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in Boston, researchers revealed that only 0.2 percent of all adults with OSA annually, as OSA surgery is common and costly. Variations in cost and procedure type related to selected patient and hospital factors provide a potential opportunity for practice standardization.

In a recently concluded research the researchers aimed to estimate the population prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in an urban community of German third graders (age range 7.3–12.4 yrs) and the diagnostic test accuracy of two OSA screening methods.

Using a cross-sectional study design with a multi-stage sampling strategy, 27 out of 59 primary schools within the city limits of Hanover, Germany, were selected. 1,144 third graders were screened for symptoms and signs of OSA using questionnaires and nocturnal home pulse oximetry. 183 children underwent abbreviated nocturnal home polysomnography (OSA definition: apnoea/hypopnoea index ?1) and 22 were diagnosed to suffer from OSA. Read the rest of this entry