A Diplomate shows dentists the ins and outs of accurate digital impressions for sleep appliances.

By Anthony Dioguardi, DMD, DABDSM | Photography by Karol Setlak Photography

Intraoral dental scanners provide dentists with a tool that can digitally capture the images of teeth and surrounding soft tissue with astonishing accuracy. The clinician simply waves a rather expensive wand over the teeth and a rotatable image instantly appears on the screen. This new technology can represent an opportunity to replace old methods with one that is faster and more comfortable for the patient. But the unknowns of scanning can be intimidating, as is the case for many dentists whose training and experience have always focused on physical impressions and plaster models. Although the presence of scanners in dentistry is becoming increasingly more common, it is estimated that less than 25% of dental offices own a scanner, and those that do tend to be larger multi-dentist practices.¹

How do a scanner handpiece and a computer produce a printable 3D image? As Yale University professor of biomedical engineering James Duncan, PhD, a

Newly published results from 24- and 36-month data from the remedē System Pivotal Trial demonstrate long-term safety and sustained improvement in sleep metrics from phrenic nerve stimulation in adult patients with moderate to severe central sleep apnea (CSA). The study is published in Sleep and funded by Respicardia Inc, the remedē System.

“It is imperative that we understand the long-term results of phrenic nerve stimulation since CSA and its underlying disorders are chronic and progressive,” says Henrik Fox, MD, senior cardiologist at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, in a release. “The durability of the clinical results seen in this trial further validates the remedē System as an effective, reliable, long-term treatment option for indicated patients.”

Patients from the remedē System Pivotal Trial were assessed at 24 months (full overnight, in-lab, attended polysomnogram) and 36 months (home sleep study of cardiorespiratory polygraphy) to evaluate sleep metrics and safety. All sleep studies were scored by a central sleep core laboratory.

The results at 24-months include:

• 99% reduction in the median of the central apnea index (CAI) from baseline
• 93% of patients had

Israeli medical device developer Itamar medical has sought to integrate sleep apnea management into the cardiac patient care pathway by enabling diagnosis at the cardiology clinic, reports The Jerusalem Post.

“One world of treatment is the slow motion route of sleep apnea patients, with months-long waiting lists and just 5,000 doctors in the US,” he said. “Then you have the world of cardiovascular patients, with a sense of urgency, 35,000 doctors and big money, procedures and technology. The two worlds don’t work together, so we strategically decided to take our solution and put it in the hands of cardiologists five years ago.”

Get the full story at www.jpost.com

Researchers think inflammation in blood vessels could be to blame, since the ear would be prone to that kind of damage, reports Flagstaff Business News.

Hearing health professionals know that circulatory issues can cause hearing loss. Research indicates that people with heart disease are 50% more likely to have hearing impairment. According to the American Diabetes Association, patients with diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing loss as those individuals who do not. Smokers are more likely to develop hearing loss because of the depleted oxygen levels in the inner ear. Untreated high blood pressure can also contribute to hearing loss and tinnitus, also known as ringing in the ears.

Get the full story at www.flagstaffbusinessnews.com

Aesyra SA is a private company based in Lausanne, Switzerland, that is developing a medical device able to accurately monitor and relieve sleep bruxism, a condition that, without therapy, has negative impacts on patients’ lives and is linked with serious sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. The company has already secured the intellectual property, developed prototypes, and obtained clinical data.

CEO Marco Letizia says in a release, “We are very pleased to have secured the first funding from VitaTech that will allow to pursue the industrialization, the clinical validation, and the commercialization of our technology. Having Dr Paolo Orsatti joining our board will significantly strengthen our team thanks to his leadership and experience into the medtech industry.”

Paolo Orsatti, director, says, “We are convinced that Aesyra solution has a very large potential because it addresses an unmet medical need; it can positively impact the quality of life of the patients and potentially prevent other sleep disorders. We are delighted of our fund’s second investment in Aesyra that fits perfectly into VitaTech’s strategy to invest in companies positioned at the convergence

The webinar In Sleep Oximetry, Not All Oximeters Perform Alike: How to Evaluate SpO₂ Technology, produced by Sleep Review and sponsored by Nonin, is available for free and immediate on-demand viewing.

In this 30-minute webinar, pulse oximetry experts explain how pulse oximetry (SpO₂) helps physicians screen for obstructive sleep apnea and how to evaluate the technology that is available on the market to make the best decisions for your patients.

The on-demand version includes a recording of the live Q&A segment.

Speakers

Aaron Lobbestael, director of advanced technology, research and development, joined Nonin Medical in 2008. He has held positions in research, clinical affairs, and product development. Aaron has worked on technologies that are used products across the Nonin product portfolio. He earned a masters degree in biostatistics from the University of Michigan and is fascinated by the potential of noninvasive measurements.

Aaron Lobbestael

Don Giroux, strategic account manager, OEM, has worked at Nonin Medical for over 27 years. He has held positions in sales management and strategic programming for OEM partnerships. Don has played

Research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging’s 2019 Annual Meeting draws a strong link between severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and impaired coronary flow reserve, which is an early sign of the heart disease atherosclerosis. Using 13N-ammonia positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), researchers were able to noninvasively evaluate coronary microvascular function in OSA patients and use their findings to predict cardiovascular disease risk.

To evaluate the cardiovascular disease risk factors in OSA patients, researchers conducted 13N-ammonia PET/CT imaging on 38 patients, who were divided into three groups based on the severity of their sleep apnea. During the PET/CT imaging, myocardial blood flow and coronary flow reserve—key indicators of coronary dysfunction—were automatically calculated using quantitative PET/CT software.

The mean rest myocardial blood flow was similar among patients in the three groups of mild, moderate, and severe OSA. The mean hyperemic myocardial blood flow was also similar, though researchers found that the blood flow decreased gradually as the severity of OSA increased. There were, however, significant differences in the mean coronary flow reserve among the three groups—those with

Sommetrics, a company dedicated to developing products to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has completed a clinical study of its aerSleep product in ethnic Japanese subjects with OSA.

The SOM-014 trial was a prospective, observational study conducted at a sleep lab in Kaneohe, Hawaii. In a cohort of subjects with moderate to severe OSA, use of the aerSleep negative external air pressure device was effective in reducing the frequency of apneas and hypopneas by 75% from baseline levels in responsive subjects. No significant adverse events were observed. During the home use portion of the study, aerSleep was well tolerated as evidenced by average nightly usage of 5.7 hours during the second week of therapy.

“We are delighted to verify that aerSleep has a treatment profile in ethnic Japanese people that is comparable to what we’ve observed in Caucasian populations,” commented Dr. Richard Rose, MD, president, CEO, and chief medical officer of Sommetrics, in a release. ”This is an important consideration in view of the differences in configuration of the maxilla-facial structures between some Asians and Caucasians. It is reassuring to