WideMed Ltd.  has obtained EU CE Mark for its mobile sleep apnea system Morpheus Ox for home use. The system is based on a device made by Nonin Medical Inc. and WideMed’s mobile application and Morpheus platform for monitoring sleep apnea.

The device’s interface receives photoplethysmography (PPH) signals, which are collated by an application developed by the company for mobile telephones.

The Morpheus Ox system can monitor, measure, and analyze snores and send accurate data to a physician about the patient’s respiration, sleep apnea, oxygen levels, and heartbeat during the night.

WideMed said that it plans to begin marketing the Morpheus Ox system in Europe and the Far East during the fourth quarter, and that it undergoing regulatory procedures with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the device for marketing in the US.

Good night’s sleep is important for numerous health benefits. The best position is to sleep on your back, according to a new study.

It prevents neck and back pain, reduces acid reflux and minimizes wrinkles. Sleeping on your back makes it easy for your head, neck and spine to maintain a neutral position.

However, people with severe snoring or sleep apnea should avoid sleeping on their back. This position is recommended for people with neck pain along with a cervical roll or pillow.

The next best position is the side position. This position is great for your overall health. It prevents neck and back pain, reduces acid reflux and reduces snoring. This position is ideal for women who are pregnant. Women in late pregnancy should sleep on their left side to increase blood flow to the baby. Side sleeping keeps your spine elongated preventing back soreness. Read the rest of this entry

The Aviisha Medical Institute, LLC is making headway in the battle against sleep apnea as physician groups continue to join its MD Home Sleep Program at a record pace. The program equips physicians with the knowledge and tools to diagnose and treat sleep apnea without resorting to costly lab testing.

The surge in group signups has helped Aviisha, the national leader in home sleep testing, reach more sleep apnea patients than ever before. “We’re seeing a remarkable number of patients getting treated thanks to the collective effort of our physicians,” said Dr. Avi Ishaaya, the cofounder and Medical Director of Aviisha. “Only 10-20% of sufferers are diagnosed despite the fact that untreated sleep apnea has such devastating health consequences.” Sleep apnea has been linked to increased risk of stroke, diabetes, heart failure, hypertension, obesity, sexual dysfunctional, depression, loss of motivation, and chronic fatigue.”

The groups come from a variety of states and comprise numerous specialties.

Aviisha’s MD Home Sleep Program Read the rest of this entry

The most effective treatment for the nighttime breathing disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea is the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, according to a new report.

A CPAP machine pumps air through a mask while the patient sleeps. This treatment is highly effective in improving sleep and reducing symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, according to the review of available evidence.

However, side effects such as dry nose and mouth, nosebleeds, chest discomfort and feeling trapped can cause patients to abandon CPAP treatment, noted the authors of the report, which was funded by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

One expert called the report’s findings “valuable.” Read the rest of this entry

The benefits of continuous positive airway pressure machines (CPAP) for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are quickly reversed when the therapy is withdrawn, according to Swiss research. The findings appear online in the articles-in-press section of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

“In patients with obstructive sleep apnea who are established on CPAP treatment, withdrawal of the therapy is associated with a rapid recurrence of OSA and sleepiness within a few days” said Malcolm Kohler, MD, senior consultant at the Sleep Disorders Centre and Pulmonary Division of the University Hospital in Zurich. “After 14 days of CPAP withdrawal, OSA patients experienced considerable increases in heart rate and blood pressure as well as a deterioration in vascular function.” Read the rest of this entry

Former USC football star Petro Papadakis, who currently hosts the KLAC AM 570 afternoon radio show, announced that he had received successful treatment for sleep apnea and snoring from Dr. Jonathan Greenburg.  Dr. Greenburg fitted Papadakis with a patent-pending appliance that is customized to each person’s mouth and tongue.   Papadakis commented, “It’s been a great alternative to the CPAP for me.  Dr. Greenburg is an innovator and visionary and his Snore No More Device enables me to sleep on planes and at my house without disturbing the peace.  The dental device opens your airway just like the CPAP and is much less cumbersome.“

Dr.Greenburg commented, “Petros is one of many sleep apnea or snoring sufferers who find the CPAP machine uncomfortable and too difficult to use.  Our custom fitted oral appliance treatment program gently repositions the tongue away from the airway at night and is ideal for patients like him who are either CPAP intolerant or travel often and wish to not have to take a CPAP machine with them.” Read the rest of this entry

Wearing compression stockings could be an effective and cheap way to help people suffering with a common sleep disorder, scientists say.

Researchers from the University of Brescia in Italy, found that wearing flight socks during the day reduced the symptoms of  sleep apnea among sufferers at night.

Around four per cent of men and two per cent of women in the UK have the condition that  interrupts breathing at night for ten seconds at a time.It can leave sufferers feeling exhausted as  the body reacts to obstructed airways by going from a state of deep sleep to  lighter rest.There are few effective treatments available  for the condition, which is particularly prevalent among the overweight and  over-65s. Many refuse to use available airway machines  as they require wearing a mask all night. Read the rest of this entry

According to research presented at the 20th Anniversary Meeting of  the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM), the  apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in patients with severe obstructive sleep  apnea (OSA) was more improved by a combination treatment of a mandibular  advancement splint (MAS) and positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy  than by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy alone.

Results show that without lowering the pressure substantially, CPAP  tolerance can be improved and severe OSA can be effectively treated  using a MAS that physically supports and stabilizes the position of  nasal pillows (TAP-PAP). Read the rest of this entry

A multidisciplinary clinical practice guideline, “Polysomnography for  Sleep-Disordered Breathing Prior to Tonsillectomy in Children“, was  published as a supplement to the July issue of Otolaryngology—Head  and Neck Surgery. This guideline provides otolaryngologists with  evidence-based recommendations for using polysomnography in assessing  children, aged 2 to 18 years, with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and  who are candidates for tonsillectomy, with or without adenoidectomy.

Polysomnography (PSG) is presently the gold standard for diagnosing  and quantifying sleep-disordered breathing in children. SDB affects  approximately 12% of children with manifestations ranging from simple  snoring to potentially serious conditions, including sleep apnea. SDB is  also the most common indication for tonsillectomy with or without  adenoidectomy in the United States. Since more than 530,000  tonsillectomies are performed annually on children younger than the age  of 15, primarily for SDB, clear and actionable guidance on optimal use  of PSG is strongly needed. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/ ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 2, 2011 /- Apnex Medical, Inc., received investigational device exemption (IDE) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a clinical study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of its Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation (HGNS®) System to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Data from this clinical study are intended to support the Pre-Market Approval (PMA) application for the HGNS System to the FDA.“Many patients who suffer from OSA are unable to tolerate existing therapies such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The HGNS System provides a fundamentally new approach to the treatment of OSA. This study will help us further understand the potential role this device will have in treating the millions of people who suffer from OSA,” said the study’s co-principal investigator, Dr. Atul Malhotra, Clinical Chief, Division of Sleep Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Read the rest of this entry

A recently concluded research study was attempted with the objective of determining direct and indirect costs of sleep-disordered breathing (snoring, sleep apnea (SA) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS)) and the treatment are incompletely described.

Using data from the Danish National Patient Registry (1998–2006), 12 045, 19 438 and 755 patients were identified with a diagnosis of snoring, SA and OHS, respectively. For every patient, four age-, sex- and socioeconomic-matched citizens were randomly selected (48 180, 77 752 and 3020, respectively) from the Danish Civil Registration System Statistics Direct costs were extracted from the Danish Ministry of Health, Danish Medicines Agency and National Health Security and indirect costs were based on data derived from the Coherent Social Statistics.  Read the rest of this entry

Many mothers and wives often say one of the things they miss since motherhood  began is a good night’s sleep. There are many culprits that steal Mom’s restful  time, but one of the biggest can be a snoring partner. But there’s a solution  called VitalSleep Stop Snoring  Mouthpiece that’s affordable for husbands who snore,and their wives who are  kept awake.

“Restful sleep never happens for a snorer… or the people who love them,” says entrepreneur David Hernandez, “And it’s usually the woman who’s kept awake  because, scientifically, men are twice as likely to be snorers than women. When  every night consists of a nudge here, and a poke there, VitalSleep can end the  war some wives face to get a good night’s rest.”

Upon a visit to the dentist to uncover a solution to his snoring, he was  prescribed a mouthpiece that allows more air to flow freely to alleviate  snoring. The problem is the device came with a huge price tag of $3,000. He  asked his doctor for a more economical solution, but there wasn’t one, so that’s  when Hernandez conferred with Dr. Richard Koffler M.D. Read the rest of this entry

A new study by researchers at Stanford University, using a technique that manipulates light to control brain cells, has shown that broken sleep causes memory impairment in mice.

Until recently scientists have been unable to separate the effects on the brain of different sleep patterns. But in the newest study, they were able to overcome that problem using the new method, known as optogenetics.

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study could help explain memory problems linked to conditions including Alzheimer’s and sleep apnea.

The new study looked at sleep that was fragmented, but not shorter or less intense than normal for the mice. They targeted a type of brain cell that plays a vital role in switching between the states of being asleep and being awake. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep 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

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