American Association for Respiratory Care
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AARC Sleep Section

September 2012

OPEN FORUM 2012: Cutting Edge Content for Sleep RTs

AARC Congress 2012 is coming up Nov. 10–13 in New Orleans, and in addition to great lectures and symposiums, we’ll have 20 Open Forums with original research conducted by your peers. So take a few moments to see what’s on tap for RTs working in the sleep arena and then register today. It’s the best investment you can make in your career this year—and it’s a great investment for your organization too, because attendees are sure to come home with lots of ideas to enhance state-of-the-art care for people with sleep disorders. READ MORE

As you scroll through the Program don’t forget to check out our two great PRE-COURSES. The first addresses patient safety and the second is focused on mechanical ventilation.

CPAP Treatment May Unmask PLM

New York researchers who evaluated 78 polysomnographic recordings in 39 OSA subjects with an hourly periodic limb movement (PLM) index ≥5 during CPAP application conclude PLM may be unmasked by the resolution of OSA during CPAP titration. Among 11 subjects with lower PLM indices at baseline, significantly greater changes in the PLM index were noted when compared to the rest of the sample. Sixteen subjects who demonstrated significantly lower PLM indices at baseline not only required optimal CPAP levels that were higher than the sample average of 8.2 cm H2O, but also exhibited a significantly higher median apnea-hypopnea index at baseline than the rest of the group, 74.4 events per hour vs. 22.7 events per hour. The study appeared in the August edition of the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. READ ABSTRACT

Montelukast May Help Treat Nonsevere OSA in Kids

A new study out of Israel finds treatment with montelukast can mitigate nonsevere OSA in children. The prospective, double-blind, randomized trial involved 46 children who were diagnosed with OSA via polysomnography and assigned to receive either treatment with montelukast or placebo for 12 weeks. Investigators assessed the children for adenoid size before and after the therapy. Children who received the active drug significantly improved in terms of the obstructive apnea index, symptoms, and adenoid size. Overall, the obstructive apnea index dropped by more than 50% in 65.2% of the children who received montelukast. None of the children dropped out of the study and no side effects were noted. “A 12-week treatment with daily, oral montelukast effectively reduced the severity of OSA and the magnitude of the underlying adenoidal hypertrophy in children with nonsevere OSA,” write the authors. The study was published ahead of print by Pediatrics on Aug. 6. READ ABSTRACT

Mandatory Screening Can Identify Significant Number of OSA Cases among Commercial Drivers

Mandatory OSA screening for commercial drivers can uncover a significant number of OSA cases, report U.S. researchers publishing in the August edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. They looked at 19,371 commercial drivers who were screened for OSA with an online questionnaire mandated by their employers. Thirty percent were deemed at higher risk, and as of this report, 2103 had been sent to have a polysomnography. Sixty-eight percent had an AHI greater than 10 and 80% had an AHI of 5 or more. From these findings, the researchers estimate a 21% OSA prevalence among the 19,371 drivers initially screened, leading them to conclude that “mandatory screening can have a high yield among commercial drivers.” READ ABSTRACT

MS Patients May be at Greater Risk for Sleep Apnea

University of Michigan researchers who compared laboratory-based polysomnography among 48 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), 84 patients without MS who were matched for age, gender, and body mass index, and 48 randomly selected patients noted a higher mean apnea-hypopnea index and a higher mean and median central apnea index among the MS patients. The finding was most pronounced among MS patients with evidence of brain stem involvement. “These data suggest a predisposition for obstructive sleep apnea and accompanying central apneas among patients with MS, particularly among those with brainstem involvement,” write the investigators. The study was published ahead of print in Neurology on Aug. 15. READ ABSTRACT

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