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Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > March 11, 2008
Sleep Wellness Institute launches at-home apnea tool
Published March 11, 2008 - BizTimes Daily
The Sleep Wellness Institute, the state's largest sleep disorders diagnosis and treatment center, will now offer an inexpensive sleep apnea screening tool for use in the home.
The SleepStrip costs $25 and allows people who suspect that they may have sleep apnea, a potentially lethal disorder, an easier way to screen themselves for indications of the disease.
According to Sleep Wellness Institute president Mark Stoiber, the new tool is the first step for people who may be reluctant to undergo full testing initially.
"Sleep apnea can only be diagnosed by a sleep study, and unattended ambulatory studies are considered somewhat less reliable, as shown by Medicare's recent decision not to provide coverage for them," Stoiber said. "But for those people who are concerned that they might have sleep apnea and are reluctant to be evaluated, the SleepStrips offer them a way to screen themselves, in effect, and then contribute to a determination with a sleep center if a full sleep study is necessary."
Stoiber said the strip will allow some people to allay their fears by screening out those people who have no apnea present.
Manufactured by Sleep Sense, a division of Scientific Laboratory Products, the strips are worn under the nose overnight. They contain sensors that track breathing and monitor apnea events. Events are displayed in a one digit number from 0 to 3 that the patient reports to the Sleep Wellness Institute in West Allis. The reading, combined with information about the patient's sleep and health history, can be used to make a determination of whether additional testing is necessary.
Stoiber said approximately 16 million Americans are believed to have undiagnosed sleep
The Sleep Wellness Institute also launched this week a web site for the Reggie White Sleep Disorders Research and Eduation Foundation at www.reggiewhitesleepdisordersfoundation.org.
