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August 2009
- The Summer issue of our SECTION
BULLETIN is online now, with an informative article on
a recent change in section leadership, plus introductions to the two
candidates for section chair in this Fall's elections.
- The 2009 nominations deadline for our
Specialty Practitioner of the Year award is rapidly approaching — August
31 — so please take a few moments to brainstorm deserving members, then
nominate them via our ONLINE
FORM .
- Keep a watch. The advance program for
the AARC INTERNATIONAL
RESPIRATORY CONGRESS will be online soon, but you can register
right now for best rates. Plenty of good programming in the area of
sleep medicine will be offered. Save the date -- San Antonio, Dec. 5-8.
Voices of Sleep Apnea
The New York Times has a new
feature on its web site called the “Voices of Sleep Apnea” in which real
patients talk about what it means to have the condition. They also discuss
their testing and treatment and how it has changed their lives. Several
are now on CPAP therapy, and talk about what it was like to get used to
the device and how it has enabled them to get a good night's sleep for
the first time in years. LISTEN
HERE
Measuring Technologist Performance
A new study out of Baylor
College of Medicine looks at the ability of a point system and schematic
feedback to monitor and improve sleep technologist performance. Researchers
randomly reviewed 100 charts of patients seen prior to the implementation
of the program, comparing them to 1,739 charts of patients seen following
implementation, finding a statistically significant difference in scores.
The average score prior to the implementation of the program was 75. Following
implementation, it rose to about 87. The authors conclude, “Evaluating
the performance of the sleep technologist can be a way to track and monitor
their performance in a standardized way and to identify weakness at an
earlier stage.” The study appeared in the June 30 Epub edition of Sleep
& Breathing. READ
ABSTRACT
CPAP Ups Survival Rate for COPD Patients
with OSAS
Brazilian researchers who
assessed the effect of CPAP treatment in hypoxemic COPD patients with
obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) find CPAP significantly lowers
the risk of death. All of the patients were on long-term oxygen therapy.
The five year survival rate was 71% for patients who were diagnosed with
both COPD and OSAS and were adherent to CPAP treatment. The survival rate
was 26% for those who either refused CPAP treatment or were not adherent
to it. The survival benefit held true even after the researchers took
several cofounders into account. The research was published in the July
2 Epub edition of the European Respiratory Journal. READ
ABSTRACT
Alternative to CPAP for Kids with
OSAS
CPAP can be an effective therapy
for children with OSAS, but compliance is a real problem. Johns Hopkins
researchers believe the delivery of warm humidified air via an open nasal
cannula — dubbed “treatment with nasal insufflation” or TNI — may be a
good alternative. They compared TNI to CPAP and baseline measurements
in 12 children with mild to severe OSAS. Results showed TNI was comparable
to CPAP in reducing the apnea-hypopnea index in the majority of the children.
The investigators call for additional studies to further assess the effectiveness
of this novel therapy. The research appears in this month's Pediatrics.
READ
ABSTRACT
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