FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Revolutionary New Treatment Helps Heart Failure And Sleep Apnea Patients
Columbus Residents Benefiting After Years Of Deteriorating Health And Quality Of Life
COLUMBUS,
Ohio - September 5 - One out of every two patients with heart failure
repeatedly fails to breathe during sleep. This problem (central sleep
apnea, or "CSA") can cause dangerous drops in blood oxygen levels that
accelerate deterioration of cardiac function while rendering treatment
for heart failure ineffective. This frequently undetected breathing
disorder also afflicts many patients with atrial fibrillation.
Until recently, effective treatment for central sleep apnea was
unavailable. Now, a new treatment approach called adaptive
servo-ventilation is available at The Columbus Community Health
Regional Sleep Disorders Center.
"ResMed's
adaptive servo-ventilation device will save the lives of countless
individuals who suffer from unstable breathing during sleep," stated
Dr. Robert Clark, Medical Director of The Columbus Community Health
Regional Sleep Disorders Center. "I regard it as the greatest
single breakthrough in sleep medicine since the development of positive
airway pressure itself in the mid-1980s."
A
similar condition causes patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to
abandon treatment. Evan, a 54 year-old slender Columbus man with
a history of snoring and daytime sleepiness, demonstrated 95 episodes
per hour of obstruction of his throat during sleep, with repeated drops
in blood oxygen levels: placing him at dangerously elevated risk of
heart attack, heart failure, stroke and accelerated coronary
disease. Then, when placed on positive airway pressure--the
leading therapy for obstructive sleep apnea--he immediately developed
central sleep apneas. He repeatedly failed to make any effort to
breathe--with even greater decreases in blood oxygen saturations that
made his already tenuous condition much worse.
He
continued to do poorly despite more aggressive treatments, such as use
of home oxygen in conjunction with a variant of positive airway
pressure that acts much like a demand ventilator. Furthermore, he
could not tolerate sleeping throughout the night with them.
Evan
was then treated with a new technology specifically developed for the
management of central sleep apneas--adaptive servo-ventilation
(ASV). The results were dramatic. When using ASV, he
demonstrated entirely normal breathing and oxygen levels throughout
sleep, without any need for supplemental oxygen or additional
treatments.
"I
am so grateful to Dr. Clark for identifying an appropriate therapy for
my sleep apnea. My health and quality of life were deteriorating
rapidly," said Evan. "Treatment with ResMed's VPAP Adapt SV has
improved my daytime alertness and energy levels significantly.
And my wife is delighted both by how much better I feel and by the fact
that this new machine is so quiet. At last, we both sleep well! I
believe that other patients who are experiencing frustration over their
current sleep therapy regimen can benefit from Dr. Clark's unique
experience in this area."
Evan's
sleep specialist, Dr. Robert Clark, shares his excitement over this new
treatment approach. "It is a remarkably intelligent and subtle
device," says Dr. Clark. "ASV continuously analyzes a patient's
breathing pattern on an ongoing basis and immediately senses when
breathing is becoming unstable. Then, it provides just enough
support to ensure stable breathing…and it "backs out" when it no longer
is needed. It is far more comfortable than our prior treatments
because it adjusts to the patient's changing needs--rather than forcing
the patient to try to adapt to it. And studies have clearly shown
that ASV is far more effective than any other treatment for central
sleep apneas in heart failure victims."
Dr.
Clark's facility, the Columbus Community Health Regional Sleep
Disorders Center, is the only area center to offer adaptive
servo-ventilation to its patients. Twelve of its patients whose
sleep apnea had previously been extremely difficult to treat have
already been tried on ASV. It normalized breathing in all twelve
and in every case, it eliminated any need for supplemental
oxygen. Oxygen is a costly treatment that renders travel
difficult--and oxygen therapy often worsens sleep quality by increasing
nasal drying and due to the noise and heat generated by many oxygen
concentrators.
"Central
sleep apnea can be a devastating problem. Unfortunately, it can
be very difficult to detect, since it often is unassociated with either
snoring or sleepiness. Also, the pauses in breathing are not always
witnessed by bed partners," Dr. Clark cautions.
"A
high index of suspicion is extremely important," he continues.
"CSA should be suspected in all patients with either significant heart
failure and atrial fibrillation, as well as in patients with
obstructive sleep apnea who have difficulty tolerating CPAP or bi-level
positive airway pressure for unclear reasons. A timely diagnosis
is particularly crucial in severe cases, now that we have such a
remarkably effective and well-tolerated solution to offer afflicted
patients."
Dr. Clark,
who is dually board certified in sleep medicine and neurology, has been
actively involved in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep related
illnesses since 1975 and has given presentations on sleep disorders in
Europe, Canada and South America. The Columbus Community Health
Regional Sleep Disorders Center, fully accredited by the American
Academy of Sleep Medicine, sees patients from throughout the United
States and other countries.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Dr. Clark at the following:
The
Columbus Community Health Regional Sleep Disorders Center, 1430 South
High Street, Columbus OH 43207; telephone: (614) 443-7800, fax: (614)
443-6960, e-mail: flamenco@netexp.net, web site: www.thesleepsite.com.
### |