Help for people with sleeping disorders
Philips has launched a new Sleep Therapy System to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Using intelligent technology, this new system simplifies patient management by monitoring patients and recognising when therapy needs are changing, while offering sophisticated comfort enhancements.
Philips also used the conference as an opportunity to call for broad public education on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), one of the most common sleep disorders worldwide. A condition characterised by episodes of stopped breathing during sleep, OSA sufferers can experience extreme daytime sleepiness leading to loss in daily productivity and increased risk of accidents at home, work or in the car.
Recent research has also shown the condition is linked to a series of serious health issues such as increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.
The vast majority of people fail to seek medical diagnosis for sleep disorders. Individuals with moderate to severe OSA often have a number of symptoms including loud, disruptive snoring, gasping for air or choking during sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
However, only a fraction of such people has been diagnosed. In Australia, the prevalence of symptomatic OSA is about 5%, with only 15% of this group currently diagnosed.
Taking a leadership position at the Australian Sleep Association meeting, Philips announced the global launch of its new intelligent Sleep Therapy System to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
The new system addresses some of the major concerns felt by users of other devices including a Philips first humidity control which prevents any condensation in the mask or device. The in-built computer also incorporates Philips’ Advanced Detection Study program which tells the patient’s care provider when their therapy needs are changing so treatment plans can be amended.
“Because sleep apnea causes a person’s breathing to stop repeatedly during the night, their sleep is disrupted as they struggle to breath. Sufferers never get enough deep, restorative sleep that is needed unless they seek treatment,” said Dr. David White, Chief Medical Officer for Philips Home Healthcare Solutions.
“Only a very small percentage of people who have Obstructive Sleep Apnea actually seek medical help. People simply need to take sleep much more seriously.”
OSA can easily be diagnosed by general practitioners upon assessing a patient’s complaints and symptoms. If sleep apnea is suspected, a patient will be referred for a diagnostic sleep study known as a polysomnogram, or PSG, to confirm the type and severity of the sleep apnea, as well as the appropriate treatment.
Once OSA is diagnosed as the cause of a patient’s complaints and symptoms, it usually can be effectively treated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy, a non-invasive approach which is the preferred treatment of choice for OSA. CPAP provides a gentle flow of air pressure through the nasal passage using a mask, preventing airway collapse to allow an OSA patient to breathe freely during sleep.
The CPAP device is equipped with various features to increase patient comfort during therapy.
The new Philips Respironics Sleep Therapy System is a CPAP solution with intelligent technology that can identify conditions immediately indicating the potential need for specialised therapy when the patient is experiencing symptoms beyond classic OSA.
That means the care team will have the ability early on to identify different treatment that may be needed. Further, the new Sleep Therapy System is designed for greater patient comfort, with technologies making it easier for patients to adapt to therapy and use it for the long term.
