As with most medical fields, technological advancements are frequent and play a significant role in improving our health and the quality of our life and, in some cases, even extending our life. Now there is new technology to enhance sleep studies to determine if people with sleep apnea are candidates for oral appliance therapy.
Arizona Cardiac Sleep Facility (ACSF) is the first sleep study center in the Prescott area to acquire and offer the Zephyr MATRx technology from Zephyr Sleep Technologies of Calgary, Canada. The MATRx is a computerized, remote-controlled oral device that studies patients while they sleep. It gently opens the breathing airway by pulling the lower jaw forward, a little at a time, until the apnea is eliminated. It provides critical data to determine if an apnea patient can be effectively treated with an oral appliance. The MATRx technology was developed at the University of Calgary by renowned physician sleep researcher Dr. John Remmers. It has been available in the United States since 2012.
Test results allow me to confidently prescribe oral appliances as an effective alternative to CPAP and other forced-air therapy treatments. With precise recorded measurements, MATRxÔdetermines the exact settings required to fabricate a patient’s custom oral appliance, which is completed by a dentist with advanced training in sleep apnea therapy. At ACSF, we work with Dr. J.C. Goodwin, whose focus is dental sleep apnea therapy.
The importance of this technology is to help people effectively manage their apnea to reduce the risks associated with sleep apnea. People with undiagnosed and untreated apnea increase their chances for heart attacks and strokes by as much as 300 percent and reduce their life expectancy up to 15 years! These statistics are staggering; yet, the medical community is only now starting to recognize sleep apnea as a serious health concern. Statistics provided by medical associations suggest that one in three adults over the age of 55 have sleep apnea and that 90 percent of women who have sleep apnea are undiagnosed.
And with obesity and diabetes becoming an epidemic, sleep apnea cases will sharply rise due to the connection with these health issues. Look for me to address this concern in a future column.
Oral appliances may be ideal for people who are not compliant with or cannot tolerate traditional treatments like CPAP, especially people who suffer from claustrophobia. These devices are not for everyone, especially those with severe apnea, but may be a viable option for those who have mild to moderate apnea. But for those people who have severe apnea and, for whatever reason, have terminated their CPAP treatment, oral appliance therapy is far better than no therapy at all.
Prior to the MATRx test, the only way for a patient to determine in advance if they were a candidate for oral appliance therapy was to be fitted with a custom device at costs often in excess of $1,800. The problem with this “hit and miss strategy” is that if an oral device is ineffective, an apnea patient will spend a lot of money needlessly. MATRx takes the guesswork out of determining if an oral appliance option will work, saving people who are not candidates both time and money. The MATRx study is covered by Medicare and many private insurance plans.
With sleep apnea, muscles that control the upper airway relax during sleep. When these muscles relax too much, the airway will narrow slightly. The result can be snoring. If the muscles are too relaxed, the airway may become blocked, causing people with apnea to stop breathing for 10 seconds or more. Depending on the severity of sleep apnea, this pattern can be repeated over 100 times throughout the night, placing undue stress on your heart and brain. The most common form of apnea is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). QCBN
By Stephen Stuart, M.D.
Stephen Stuart, M.D., is board-certified in Sleep Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, and Internal Medicine. He is the Medical Director of the Arizona Cardiac Sleep Facility. ACSF studies are covered by Medicare and most insurance plans. For more information, call 928-441-1117 or visit www.azcardiacsleep.com.
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