HOT SPRINGS – Bath Community Hospital has announced the opening of its Diagnostic Sleep Lab.
Patients who are diagnosed by their doctors with a potential sleep disorder will now have access to a quiet and comfortable overnight study facility at the hospital’s main campus.
The new sleep lab will provide studies and diagnosis on a number of sleep disorders, but will primarily focus on sleep apnea, a common and serious problem that’s linked to heart disease and high blood pressure.
“Sleep Apnea is a disturbance in sleep which causes one or more pauses in breathing, sometimes up to 30 times or more per hour,” says family physician Michael Moran, M.D., who has a sub-specialty in sleep medicine. “Research is just beginning to chip away at the tip of the iceberg in recognizing diseases this disorder can cause.”
Signs of sleep apnea could be snoring, daytime sleepiness, unexplained fatigue and restless legs during sleep.
“Patients who are on multiple blood pressure medicines and are still having difficulty controlling blood pressure are candidates for a sleep study,” says Dr. Moran. “Anyone who believes they may have a sleep disorder should visit their doctor for an evaluation.”
The study is a painless, overnight procedure. After a patient checks in for the evening, Bath Community Hospital sleep respiratory therapists will place sensors on the head and other locations to monitor brain activity, eye movement, oxygen levels, heart and breathing rates, and other functions that may give a diagnosis for sleep apnea or other disorders.
“We’ll try to recreate the home environment as much as possible,” says Dr. Moran. “Patients can bring their favorite pillow and sleeping clothes. They’ll sleep in a large, comfortable bed, and if the patient is a child, parents can spend the night.”
If a patient is diagnosed with sleep apnea, they will return to be fitted for a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask to be used at home to open up a patient’s airway by blowing a little bit of air through the throat.
“Most patients report that after their first night using the CPAP, they wake up with more energy,” says Dr. Moran. “Anyone who has past experience with this equipment will be happy to know there have been significant changes. Machines are now very quiet and the oxygen masks are much smaller and more comfortable.”
“This is a service our community really needs,” says Debbie Lipes, Bath Community Hospital CEO. “Dr. Moran already has a list of over 20 people for a sleep study, not including referrals from other physicians. If a patient doesn’t have a primary care physician, they can see Dr. Moran for an evaluation. He will work with our specially-trained respiratory therapists to whom many of our residents already know.”
Dr. Moran was trained in sleep medicine during his residency at Mid-Michigan Medical Center’s Midland Family Practice Residency Program and studied under a board-certified sleep study neurologist. He’s a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
For more information, call the office of Dr. Michael Moran at 540-839-7197.