April 2009

Notes from the Section

  • A new continuing education opportunity from the AARC will soon be arriving in your mailbox. Read the “Improving Symptom Control in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Disease” booklet and then take the online POST-TEST to earn 4 FREE CRCEs. The booklet is being supported by an education grant from Sepracor.
  • Do you know a section member who has gone above and beyond, either for the section or on the job? Then nominate him or her for our 2009 Specialty Practitioner of the Year Award. Nominations are being accepted now on the SECTION WEB SITE.
  • Do you Facebook or Twitter? Join in. FACEBOOK TWITTER

NTSB Reiterates its Support for Anti-fatigue Efforts
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) used National Sleep Week to reconfirm its commitment to eliminating human fatigue in the transportation industry, noting the Board has issued more than 100 fatigue related recommendations since 1972 and has placed human fatigue and hours-of-service on its Most Wanted List of safety improvements capable of making the biggest impact on the industry. “Fatigue in transportation presents unnecessary risks to the traveling public,” said NTSB Board Member Deborah Hersman. “Fatigue can impair a person behind the wheel or at the helm much like alcohol or other drugs. We must ensure that as much as possible is being done to protect our transportation system from the insidious effect of human fatigue.” READ PRESS RELEASE

Fibromyalgia Drug Delayed
According to a recent Reuters article, Forest Laboratories and Cypress Bioscience, Inc., are delaying the launch date for their fibromyalgia drug Savella. The companies are seeking Food and Drug Administration approval for what they term a “minor cosmetic change.” They expect the medication to be available mid-year. It was scheduled to debut in March. READ ARTICLE

Implantable Device for OSA Goes into Testing
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc., has implanted its electrical stimulation device for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) into the first patient, reports Sleep Review magazine. The device is based on a closed loop system capable of sensing respiratory effort and then delivering stimulation to keep the airway open, allowing the patient to breathe normally. READ ARTICLE

A Less Costly Approach
A new study out of Australia finds a simplified method of diagnosing and treating patients with OSA is comparable to standard methods. Their study randomized nearly 200 people to either the simplified group, which was diagnosed and treated via ambulatory overnight oximetry and auto-titrating CPAP machines to set fixed CPAP under nurse supervision, or the standard care group, which received laboratory-based polysomnography, CPAP titration, and physician management. Clinical outcomes did not differ between the two groups, but patients in the nurse-led group were diagnosed and treated for $722 U.S. dollars less per patient than those in the physician-led group. The study appeared in the second March issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. READ PRESS RELEASE

 


 

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