September 2008

National Respiratory Care Week: How Will You Celebrate?
If your facility is looking for ways to celebrate this year’s National Respiratory Care Week, coming up October 19-25, the AARC can help. The Association has placed some great resources on its RC WEEK PAGE, and if you can’t find something to pique your interest there, you can also consider hosting one of our special events, such as the HIGH SCHOOL CAREER PROJECT or the VENTILATOR 5K.

Need to purchase RC Week theme products? Find them in the AARC STORE.

Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients Could Benefit from Sleep Monitoring
New research covered in Sleep Review suggests people with scarring lung diseases like pulmonary fibrosis should be monitored for sleep disorders. The study found patients with pulmonary fibrosis experienced up to 25% less REM sleep than healthy people. The finding could help explain why pulmonary fibrosis patients often report chronic fatigue. The condition likely affects REM sleep because breathing normally slows down in this stage of sleep, but lung damage caused by pulmonary fibrosis requires a higher rate of breathing, causing patients to wake up from REM sleep due to a lack of oxygen. READ ARTICLE

Home Testing Fee Schedule for Upstate NY
Sleep providers are getting an idea of what the reimbursement rates may be for home testing. According to Sleep Review, HealthNow New York, Inc., has updated its fee schedule for upstate New York. The new rates are:

READ ARTICLE

CPAP Improves Vascular Function
British researchers find CPAP therapy can reverse impaired vascular function caused by obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) combined with severe nocturnal hypoxemia. Their study was conducted among 27 patients who desaturated during sleep and 19 who did not desaturate. Vascular function was assessed by forearm venous occlusion plethysmography during intra-arterial infusion of endothelium dependent and independent vasodilators. Results showed patients with OSAHS and desaturations had reduced vasodilatation to all agonists when compared to patients without desaturation. CPAP therapy improved forearm blood flow to all vasodilators. The study was published in the July issue of Thorax. READ ABSTRACT

PAP Provisions Put on Hold
Government contractors are delaying provisions in the Local Coverage Determination on Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) Devices for Obstructive Sleep Apnea that were set to go into effect on September 1. Citing pushback from some providers and the lack of a public comment period on the provisions, industry leaders speculate the scope of the policies will be revised. The story was covered in a recent edition of Sleep Review magazine. READ ARTICLE