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In order to diagnose Sleep Apnea or other sleep disorders, a patient must undergo a polysomnography (sleep study). This is typically done in a sleep lab, requiring the patient to spend the night in-lab, while the polysomnography (PSG) equipment records his/her physiological data. However, today with technological advancements a polysomnograpy can be performed at home and is called home sleep testing (HST).

Home Sleep Testing could prove beneficial in these ways:

• The patient self-administers the home sleep test, and is able to spend the night in the patient’s own bed in familiar surroundings (reducing first night effect).
• Home sleep testing can be especially advantageous to the home-bound, elderly, or those with chronic illness, who require specialized care such as a nurse or family member spending the night, expensive transportation costs, etc.
• The typical cost of a home sleep test is only a fraction of the cost of an in-lab sleep test, and typically yields similar results.

PS: You can download a complete sleep screening test to see if you or your patient are at risk for Sleep Apnea. Also, read more about CleveMed’s Home Sleep Monitors here.

It all began when it was time for the needed photoshoot for SleepView, (our new baby among CleveMed’s family of sleep diagnostic devices). I went to Sarah (my boss) and said, “Who should be the model?” She paused a moment, then rattled off 2 names from the engineering department. “Maybe they would like to help?” she smiled sweetly.

I emailed them both; a pleading, cajoling couple of sentences, and waited. Surprisingly, they seemed quite happy to switch gears for a bit, and the first affirmative came 48 minutes sooner than the other. So the choice was easy: Dominic.

The day before the photo/video-shoot was quite a buzz of activity.

Dominic was kind enough to not back out of the whole thing while he had the chance.

Tony (our photographer) was just amazing. Just being in Tony’s studio, seemed to make the creative juices flow. We were spouting all kinds of ideas for future ad campaigns: one part of me marveled, yet another part of me cringed. But we needed this rambling I think… Dominic needed to take his mind off the discomfort he must have surely endured, from holding his hands out over a white board, and obeying 5-syllable instructions from Tony: “An-inch-to-the-left.” “Turn-device-clock-wise. No, your clock-wise.” “Curve your index finger a little toward you?” (No kidding, Dominic left for vacation the next day).

Finally, Tony dropped off our DVD and I must say that Dominic’s hands look good holding the SleepView and the SleepView looks just great: small, compact, and oh-so-easy to handle! But Tony was not the only one who took pictures that day. I just had to sneak a couple of cell phone pics that I have posted on our Facebook page. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

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CleveMed’s SleepScout is a compact, portable sleep monitor used to aid in assessment of sleep disordered breathing outside the traditional sleep lab: in a hospital setting (with iPSG™), or typically perfect for self-administered home sleep testing (even remotely attended with DreamPort™) right in the patient’s home. But here is another way to use the SleepScout: Dentists with an interest in sleep, snoring (sleep disordered breathing), and remedies for snoring through oral appliances and surgeries can use SleepScout to perform take-home sleep tests for their patients.

Here’s why the SleepScout is a great option when considering a sleep recorder for the dental office:
• SleepScout uses AASM recommended Type 3 channel set
• SleepScout’s accessories are very cost-effective
• SleepScout can monitor effectiveness of treatment with CPAP and oral appliances
• SleepScout gives an easy-to-read report with auto-scoring of respiratory events
• SleepScout records EMG to monitor Bruxism
• With SleepScout you have next day results

These are just a few reasons to consider the SleepScout, and you can read more details here. Also, see a sample report from the SleepScout portable sleep monitor at www.CleveMed.com/DentalSleep. And if you haven’t seen the SleepScout overview video, check it out!

About Sleep Apnea:

According to the National Institutes of Health, 50 to 70 million Americans are affected by chronic sleep disorders which can significantly diminish health, alertness and safety. An estimated 18 million Americans have sleep apnea, one of the most common sleep disorders. Yet, many sufferers are undiagnosed. Untreated sleep disorders can lead to hypertension, heart disease, stroke, depression, diabetes and other chronic disorders. In order for sleep apnea to be diagnosed, a patient normally undergoes a polysomnography (PSG), which is a noninvasive, pain-free procedure that usually requires spending a night in a sleep lab. During a PSG study, a sleep technologist records multiple biological functions during sleep, such as brain wave activity, eye movement, muscle tone, heart rhythm and breathing using electrodes and monitors placed on the head, chest and legs.

About DreamPort:

CleveMed recently introduced DreamPort™, an accessory to CleveMed’s Sapphire PSG™ (full PSG wireless system). Using broadband technology and built-in camera, DreamPort is a gateway to transmit full PSG data from the patient’s location to a sleep lab, thus, allowing remote attendance for patients who may be anxious or incapable of attending a sleep lab. With this new emerging medical device technology, diagnosing and treating sleep disorders has become timelier.

Why DreamPort is Suitable for Clinical Trials:

DreamPort is suitable for clinical trials as it allows for cost effective research studies to be conducted nearly anywhere. According to Cutting Edge Information, the average drug company spends about 37% of their overall R&D budgets on clinical trials. The average per-patient cost of clinical trials ranges roughly from $5,500 $7,600¹. Typical clinical trials follow a set of rules called a protocol and are managed by doctors. The studies are commonly run by nurses or other health care professionals². Now, DreamPort gives clinicians and researchers greater flexibility to conduct clinical trials where the patient is. Researchers and clinicians are able to obtain new types of research, like location specific research -home, hotel, hospital or lab; which can lead to support and establish a wider patient base.

The cost of home testing is a fraction of the cost of in-lab testing and can be less than the cost of using personnel for a full night sleep study. The average in-lab sleep studies cost range between $1,000-$5,000 a night. The cost of home studies range 35% to 88% lower than in-lab studies. The lower cost of home sleep studies makes DreamPort a practicable screening tool to collect meaningful research for patients with suspected sleep disorders, like Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).³

This post draws on the experience of CleveMed professionals and professionals in the Sleep Disorder industry.