New sleep lab at Christus detects problems of sleep apnea
Condition can lead to serious complications
By SHARON KERR Staff writer

Newsboy photo/ Sharon Kerr THE CPAP MASK that respiratory therapist Stacey Taylor is fitting on a patient is the treatment of choice for sleep apnea. In a suite outfitted like a master bedroom at home, not a hospital room, patients spend the night breathing easy while machines monitor their sleep patterns for signs of the dangerous condition that can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Sleep apnea became headline news when rapper Pimp C was found dead at age 23 in a hotel room in Hollywood. Chad Butler, Pimp C's real name, was a native of Port Arthur, and his sleep apnea was aggravated by a prescription cough syrup containing promethazine and codeine, according to the recentlyreleased autopsy results.

However, many residents in the area are at risk from sleep apnea, a serious disorder that can lead to heart attack and stroke, and they don't even know it. Stacey Taylor is an RRT, a registered respiratory therapist, at the new sleep lab at Christus Jasper Memorial Hospital, and she has already seen more than 80 referrals since May.

"A decade ago the sleep partner, houseguest or relative who snored like an 18- wheeler with a bad tank of gas likely was the butt of many jokes," wrote Beaumont Enterprise staff writer Rose Ybarra in a front page article Feb. 7.

Sleep apnea is most commonly diagnosed in overweight men who snore loudly, but according to Taylor it cuts across all lines, affects all ethnic groups, both sexes, and all ages, including children.

"We've only been open a few months, and already we've seen a child of eight who had severe sleep apnea," Taylor said.

What are the symptoms?

Snoring is the most obvious sign, but a patient may have sleep apnea without snoring. Choking or gasping at night, sleepiness during the day, morning headaches, a dry throat on waking, and memory or learning problems are some of the signs that might lead a doctor to refer a patient to the sleep lab.

Sleep apnea is when your breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are sleeping. The pauses can last up to 30 seconds and can occur 20 to 30 times or more per hour, disrupting restful sleep, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Why is it important?

"Untreated sleep apnea can increase the chance of having high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke, create an increased risk of diabetes, and the always carries the possibility of work or driving accidents caused by drowsiness, according to NHLBI.

Recognizing that prevention is cheaper than treatment, most insurance companies now cover sleep lab diagnostic treatment like that offered at CJMH, according to hospital spokesman Mark Durand.

"We're very lucky to have a center like this in Jasper," Durand said. "Most smaller towns would have to refer people to a larger city to get this kind of treatment."

The sleep lab is now open two nights a week, and the results are interpreted by Dr. Munawwer Khurshid, a neurologist and board certified sleep specialist.

What happens in the lab?

Taylor's first task each night the sleep lab is open is to tuck each patient in comfortably. The two sleep suites look more like a master bedroom than a lab, with rich wood furniture, a luxurious bedspread and relaxing pastel paintings on the walls.

Beside the bed are breathing and monitoring equipment, and on the wall, a camera to record the patient's tossing and turning.

Taylor hooks up electrodes to record sleep patterns, and a CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure.

Even before results are interpreted by the doctor, Taylor says patients are apt to wake up the next morning claiming that they have had the most restful night of sleep in their lives.

The reason is that the CPAP maintains the airway and allows them to sleep deeply through the night without the gasping and choking caused by sleep apnea.

"I sit in the control room and can monitor two patients at once. We are recording things like their oxygen levels, how often they stop breathing, how often they wake up," Taylor said.

Many people do not even realize their sleep is interrupted or that their sleep patterns are not normal.

Sleep labs are usually scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday, which allows the patient to come in about 8 p.m., get comfortable, and get a full night's sleep.

"We only need about six hours reading," Taylor said. "But we let them tell us what their schedule allows, and get them up in time for work in the morning."

If sleep apnea is diagnosed, prescribing a CPAP device is the most common treatment, according to NHLBI. Some people also benefit from surgery.

Cough medicine, medicines that make you drowsy, or sleeping pills, which seem like a logical choice if you are having trouble sleeping, can actually be dangerous to someone suffering from sleep apnea.

Durand said the clinic in Jasper is currently receiving enough referrals to maintain the two-night a week schedule, but they will consider expanding as needed.