MUNDELEIN, Ill., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- A new sleep apnea at-home pre- screening test, SleepStrip(R), launched this month by Medline Industries Inc., the nation’s largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies, may help physicians, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and sleep centers nationwide save lives by allowing them to screen and triage the most critically impaired patients.
“Health estimates suggest that as many as 18 million Americans are undiagnosed but suffer from sleep apnea, a disorder that can have deadly consequences and is highly correlated with other disease states including hypertension, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” said Vice President of Medline, respiratory products, Marc Lessem. “This FDA-cleared test will allow physicians to expedite diagnosis and treatment for patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which occurs when a person periodically stops breathing while asleep.”
According to the American Medical Association (AMA), obstructive sleep apnea may be caused by a momentary blockage or obstruction in the throat or upper airway. The AMA notes that people with OSA may experience “episodes when breathing stops during sleep (that) can last more than 10 seconds and may occur as many as 60 times per hour.” These people can be so sleep deprived that they fall asleep while standing up, while talking, or while driving a car. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) cites sleep apnea as a condition that increases a driver’s risk for being involved in a crash. NHTSA reports that more than 4,000 non-fatal and 1,550 fatal crashes each year are attributed to sleep-deprived drivers.
“Many of the most critically impaired patients with sleep apnea may not even realize just how often they fall asleep. Even a split second while driving could mean the difference between life and death,” said Robert Hart, M.D., pulmonologist and nationally recognized sleep specialist with Suburban Lung Associates, Elk Grove, IL. “Sleep labs in many areas around the country are backlogged with patients waiting weeks to months to be clinically diagnosed via polysomnography (PSG). SleepStrip(R) does not replace PSG, but does offer physicians an easy, inexpensive way to triage patients to be sure that the most critically impaired get the PSG study immediately.” Clinical studies have shown that SleepStrip(R) results are accurate when measured against PSG.
SleepStrip(R) may also prove invaluable to hospitals and outpatient surgery centers in pre-screening patients for surgery. A patient with obstructive sleep apnea is at higher risk than a non-OSA patient for airway collapse during surgery and while under post surgical care. SleepStrip(R) can pre-screen designated patients and provide hospitals with an inexpensive method to properly alert physicians to the possibility that a patient suffers from sleep apnea.
SleepStrip(R) is applied by the patient at home just before going to sleep. During the patient’s normal sleep pattern, the electro-chemical and microprocessor controlled technology measures fluctuations in airflow. After no less than five hours of sleep, a mathematical algorithm converts these airflow measurements into a quantitative output when the strip is removed. This provides the physician with an indication of whether the patient may have OSA and how severe it may be. SleepStrip(R) is manufactured by SLP Ltd. based in Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Medline, headquartered in Mundelein, IL, manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 medical supplies to hospitals, extended care facilities, home care dealers and other markets. Meeting the highest level of national and international quality standards, Medline is FDA QSR compliant and ISO 13485 registered.
For more information on Medline: http://www.medline.com/
Medline Industries Inc.
CONTACT: Lori Bolas of Medline Industries Inc., +1-847-643-3011,lbolas@medline.com
Web site: http://www.medline.com/