More than 936 million people have obstructive sleep apnea—the disorder’s first prevalence update in more than a decade—according to The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

The Lancet published a multinational analysis by ResMed and 12 sleep researchers. The results were first presented at the American Thoracic Society 2018 International Conference in San Diego.

This figure is nearly 10 times greater than the World Health Organization’s 2007 estimate of more than 100 million, renewing calls for physicians to step up their efforts to screen, diagnose, and prescribe treatment for those who unknowingly have the disorder.

“More than 85% of sleep apnea patients are undiagnosed, meaning hundreds of millions repeatedly suffocate instead of getting healthy, restful sleep each night,” says Carlos M. Nunez, MD, a study coauthor and ResMed’s chief medical officer, in a release. “This raises their risk of workplace and roadway accidents, and can contribute to other significant health problems, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or even poor glucose control for diabetic patients. We know the risks, and now we know the size of the problem is nearly 10 times greater

Sleep medicine pioneer Christian Guilleminault, MD, died July 9, 2019, at the age of 80 of metastatic prostate cancer complications, reports the World Sleep Society. He played a key role in getting the sleep medicine subspecialty to where it is today and was beloved by many.

His accomplishments and accolades are too numerous to name here in full, but a small sampling includes:

• Helped develop first exam in clinical polysomnography (late 1970s)
• Nathanial Kleitman Award, Association of Sleep Disorders Centers (1986)
• Co-founding editor and co-editor of journal Sleep (with William Dement, MD, PhD from the late 1970s to 1992, then editor-in-chief through 1997)
• Sleep Science Award, American Academy of Neurology (2000)
• National Sleep Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
• Attribution of the Christian Guilleminault Award for Research in Sleep Medicine, World Association of Sleep Medicine (2005)
• Distinguished Scientist Award, Sleep Research Society (2005)
• President, World Association Sleep Medicine (2009-2011)
• President, International Pediatric Sleep Association (2016-19)
• Until his death, he was professor in the Stanford department of psychiatry and behavior sciences and by courtesy, in the department of neurology, Stanford University

David Geoffrey Chapman, BSc, PhD, of University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, has been awarded the new American Thoracic Society (ATS) Foundation/ResMed Research Fellowship in Sleep-disordered Breathing and PAP Therapy.

Chapman’s $100,000 award will support his research into how non-invasive ventilation (NIV) can help improve sleep for people with both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), known as COPD/OSA Overlap Syndrome.

Specifically, Chapman will determine how effective various NIV settings are in addressing hyperinflation, the act of breathing at abnormally high lung volumes that is common in people with COPD. Hyperinflation reduces the function of the diaphragm, the predominant muscle for breathing during sleep, and is correlated to reduced sleep quality in a pilot study, also by Chapman.

David Geoffrey Chapman, BSc, PhD

One in four people with COPD also have moderate to severe OSA, according to a 2017 study.

Depending on which polysomnographic features predominate, patients may present with a variety of daytime symptoms and clinical outcomes, ranging from insomnia to hypersomnia with and without cardiopulmonary complications. The ATS strongly advocates for further research

RLS specialists share advice that they give patients about avoiding behavioral triggers that are known to set the disorder’s symptoms into motion

 By Lisa Spear

Patients who are kept awake at night with restless legs syndrome (RLS) are always on the lookout for ways to ease and prevent the worsening of their symptoms. Luckily, there are a number of tips and behavioral changes that providers can suggest to empower patients to manage their RLS symptoms at home.

1. Carry a List of Pharmacological Triggers

The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation has free resources on its website, including access to educational webinars, support group listings, and more. If a patient becomes a member ($35 annually in the United States or Canada), the foundation, among other benefits, provides a printed card that includes a comprehensive list of pharmaceutical triggers for RLS.

“So many doctors, like anesthesiologists, emergency room doctors, who are treating these patients love to use all these drugs, having no idea they are making the patient worse,” says Mark J. Buchfuhrer, MD, who runs the Restless Legs Syndrome Clinic at

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