African-American and other ethnically diverse mothers know the value of a good night’s sleep, but they and their young children are at risk for developing sleep problems if they live in urban poverty, a Rutgers study finds.

The study, published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, looked at the sleeping patterns of 32 women and their children ages, 15 months to 5 years, who were enrolled in a program for families at or below the poverty line in Newark, NJ.

The majority of the mothers said their children typically slept 10 hours a night on average and considered this normal, although that is slightly below the recommended amount for toddlers and preschool children. The recommended sleep time for toddlers is between 11 to 14 hours, while that of preschoolers is 10 to 13 hours. Previous research shows that good sleep quality is critical to children’s health, growth, and development, and that children who live in poor urban neighborhoods are especially vulnerable to sleep difficulties.

“Many mothers know sleep is important for themselves and their children, which is why

…

Dymedix Diagnostics Inc has launched the Lullaby line of diagnostic sensors, which consist of multiple airflow and respiratory effort options that have been specifically designed for the neonatal, infant, and pediatric populations. The company has created this brand in response to feedback from the medical industry that many sensors, particularly those related to respiratory monitoring, are not designed in the best interest of infant and children aged patient applications. Dymedix received feedback that the sensors on the market were often relatively heavy, oversized, and uncomfortable to young patients undergoing testing and observation in sleep disorders centers, long-term monitoring centers, and even neonatal monitoring environments. So it wanted to improve the patient experience while also making sensor disposability more practical.

All of the sensors in the Lullaby line are based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) technology, a light, thin, flexible material that is sensitive to heat, pressure, and vibration. According to Dymedix, sensors made with this material can be smaller without loss of signal quality or speed.

The Lullaby line consists of three different disposable oral/nasal airflow sensors capable of detecting

…

Cerner Corp and ResMed have entered into a collaboration agreement to help providers make more informed treatment decisions, control costs, and deliver seamless care across health systems to the home.

As the population continues to age and payment models shift toward value-based care, home care is becoming more favored by patients and providers. To address this trend, Cerner designated ResMed’s Brightree Home Health and Hospice platform as its preferred solution in the space to integrate with its Cerner Millennium electronic health record (EHR). The resulting flow of  data will provide caregivers better tools to make more informed decisions and more easily transition patients from acute settings to out-of-hospital care, according to the companies.

“Both Cerner and ResMed believe in a system of health where the individual is at the center,” says Don Trigg, executive vice president, Strategic Growth, Cerner, in a release. “This relationship brings a top home health solution to Cerner clients and advances our larger, strategic vision to build a person-centric health network in every community.”

Cerner also plans to connect other ResMed digital health data platforms—including those

…

CPAP cleaner marketer SoClean has expanded its distribution to reach millions of potential new customers worldwide.

The SoClean device is now being sold at thousands of retail locations throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada as a result of inking recent partnerships with Walmart.com, Wellwise by Shoppers Drug Mart, and Alliance Healthcare.

SoClean’s global expansion includes new partnerships as follows:

• In the US: SoClean is now available online through Walmart.com.
• In Canada: The SoClean device can now be found at select Wellwise by Shoppers Drug Mart locations throughout Canada.
• In the UK: Alliance Healthcare has partnered with SoClean as a wholesale distributor to its pharmacies and medical facilities.

“Our relationships with these partners allow us to significantly expand awareness of our product around the globe so that even more sleep apnea sufferers have easy access to the SoClean device,” says Dean Marcarelli, SoClean’s chief marketing officer, in a release. “We want to make it easier to find and purchase our product from your neighborhood pharmacy or local retailer.”

Headquartered in the United States, the company has now expanded

…

Manufacturer and distributor Medline and sleep apnea interface maker Bleep LLC have partnered to co-brand and distribute Bleep’s DreamPort Sleep Solution to the hospital and post-acute care markets.

“Our partnership with Bleep strengthens Medline’s portfolio of patient-centered solutions linked to improved outcomes,” says Tim Finnigan, respiratory division president at Medline, in a release. “This particular CPAP solution simplifies care, improving efficiency and experience for the healthcare staff while enhancing consistency of care.”

Stuart Heatherington, founder and CEO of Bleep, says, “We couldn’t be more excited to work together with Medline to accomplish their goal of ‘Advancing the Health of Healthcare.’ We value Medline’s commitment to customers, organizational strength, and dedication to improving patient outcomes, and we look forward to our future growth together.”

The patented DreamPort Sleep Solution uses hypoallergenic medical-grade adhesive strips to reduce the risk of leak and hold the DreamPorts in place under the nose for optimized comfort. They do not leave marks on the face and don’t constrict movement.

Sleep lab operator and ARES home sleep test marketer SleepMed has acquired Novasom’s assets. Each service will continue to operate and the teams will work together.

Roger Anderson, senior vice president of finance and operations, says in a release, “We are excited to invest in Novasom, continuing the high quality diagnostic services with high patient satisfaction.”

On Aug 2, 2019, NovaSom Inc sought relief from its creditors under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. NovaSom is a provider of home sleep apnea testing, utilizing its AccuSom home sleep test.

Jeff Powell, general manager says, “By combining SleepMed, a perennial leader in sleep medicine; Novasom, a highly efficient home sleep operation; and BioSerenity’s technology and cloud platform, we are in a position to rapidly expand our US operations. There are 22 million people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea in the US, with up to 80% undiagnosed. We intend to make the diagnostic process as convenient and efficient as possible for clinicians and patients.”

SleepMed and Novasom will launch a shared

…

A survey of 905 Italian truck drivers has shown that approximately half have at least one sleep-related breathing problem that potentially can cause drivers to fall asleep at the wheel.

In a presentation at the European Respiratory Society International Congress entitled”Obstructive sleep apnoea screening the truck driver population,” Luca Roberti, president of Apnoici Italiani (the Italian Sleep Apnoea Patient Association), called for it to be made compulsory for European haulage companies to test drivers for sleep-related breathing problems.

“Considering that drivers are in charge of transport vehicles weighing several tons, companies have a great moral and civic responsibility to ensure their employees are safe to drive and are not at risk of suddenly falling asleep at the wheel. This would also be in line with European Union legislation that regulates the renewal of drivers’ licenses for people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea,” he said.

The European Union Directive 2014/85/EU, created to limit accidents arising from OSA, requires drivers with moderate or severe OSA to seek medical advice before their licenses can be issued or renewed; drivers may be advised not

…

Hypothyroidism patients are more likely to develop sleep apnea, according to new research.

To understand the potential link between hypothyroidism and sleep apnea, a team from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) embarked upon new research using data mined from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Their study, “Hypothyroidism and its Association with Sleep Apnea Among Adults in the United States: NHANES 2007-2008,” was published in July by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The NHANES is a biennial survey conducted by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to generally evaluate the health of children and adults in the US. In addition to providing a significantly larger sample size, the NHANES provides a cross-sectional sample of the non-institutionalized US adult population. It includes a detailed demographic and behavioral questionnaire, a physical examination, laboratory testing and a list of all prescription medications used by the respondent.

Study coauthors internal medicine resident Subhanudh Thavaraputta, MD; Jeff Dennis, PhD, an assistant professor for TTUHSC’s Department of Public Health, looked a the 2007-2008 NHANES because it tested respondents

…