Select a Program at Montefiore Medical Center CLINICAL SERVICES • Advanced Imaging at Montefiore • Allergy and Immunology • Centers of Excellence • Clinical Diabetes Center • Cough Center • Dentistry • Dermatology • Emergency Medicine • Family and Social Medicine • Gastroenterology • Geriatrics • Headache Center • Hematology • Hyperbaric Medicine • Infectious Diseases • Montefiore Home Care • Montefiore Institute for Reproductive Medicine • Montefiore Medical Group • Montefiore Medical Specialists • Nephrology • Neurology • Neuromuscular Disease • Nuclear Medicine • Pathology • Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences • Pulmonary Medicine • Rheumatology • Sleep-Wake Disorders Center MONTEFIORE-EINSTEIN HEART CENTER • Cardiac Rehabilitation and Recovery • Cardiology • Cardiothoracic Surgery • Contact the Heart Center • Innovations & Insights MONTEFIORE-EINSTEIN CANCER CENTER • Breast Cancer • Clinical Trials • Colorectal Cancer • Gastrointestinal Oncology • Gynecologic Oncology • Head & Neck Cancer Program • Lung Cancer • Prevention and Support • Radiation Oncology • Robotic Prostate Surgery • Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology Center • Surgical Oncology • Translational Research • Urological Oncology CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AT MONTEFIORE WOMEN'S HEALTH AT MONTEFIORE • Childbirth • Family Planning & Birth Control • Fibroid Center • Genetic Counseling Services • Group Prenatal Care • High-Risk Pregnancy (Maternal-Fetal Medicine) • Infertility - Dine with the Experts • Infertility – Assisted Reproductive Technologies Program • Menopause & Aging — General Health • Menopause & Aging: Hormone Replacement & Bone Health • Montefiore Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Health ... • Obstetrics Gynecology & Wellness • Preconceptual Counseling and Testing • Reproductive Genetics and Prenatal Genetic Testing • Urogynecology SURGERY AT MONTEFIORE • Head and Neck Surgery • Montefiore Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery • Neurological Surgery • Ophthalmology and Visual Science • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery • Orthopaedic Surgery • Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery • Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery • Urologic Surgery • Vascular Disease Management • Weight Reduction Surgery

Sleep Lab

At the Division of Pulmonary Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center, we are committed to minimizing the negative impact of obstructive sleep apnea. We treat these pauses in breathing during sleep with the most rapid diagnosis and care possible. Our physicians are specially trained in sleep medicine, and are able to comprehensively explain all aspects of treatment to our patients, so they can easily apply them at home.

Rapid diagnosis and treatment

When seeking diagnosis and treatment through our sleep labs, patients may have an initial appointment with one of our specially trained physicians, or they may be referred directly to the lab. Patients generally arrive at 9 p.m., have special instruments placed on their bodies and sleep for several hours with these diagnostic tools in place.

While most labs require patients to come in for two separate nights of diagnosis and treatment, we can generally do both in a single night. The most common treatment method is a C.P.A.P. (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. This equipment generally includes a mask that fits over the nose, leaving the mouth clear. Along with a nasal splint, it keeps the airwaves unobstructed, while connecting through a hose to an oxygen machine.

Patients who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea are fitted with a C.P.A.P. machine while at our lab, so we can instruct them about how to use the equipment, and they can grow accustomed to how it feels to sleep while wearing the mask. Our commitment to providing our patients with thorough, immediate treatment means that we will help them to acquire a C.P.A.P. machine after diagnosis, improving their quality of life right away.

Thorough assessment

Our sleep medicine specialists also seek to diagnose the cause of obstructive sleep apnea for each patient, in order to offer complete treatment.

The most common causes are:

• Respiratory conditions
• Pulmonary infections
• Pneumonia
• Pulmonary embolic disease
• Interstitial lung disease
• Muscular causes of respiratory failure
• Pulmonary nodules, which are small legions that appear on a chest X-ray

In cases when the nodules are determined to be cancerous, as frequently happens, we contribute our specialized pulmonary expertise to the care these patients receive from Montefiore's oncologists and surgeons at a weekly multi-disciplinary conference.

Comprehensive Care and ongoing research

Once a patient has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, we treat any associated conditions, such as nasal congestion, chronic rhinitis and obesity. We are committed to supporting our patients with any recommended health goals, such as weight loss. And we use follow up visits with our patients to monitor and refine their treatment.

Our dedication to ongoing research to enhance sleep medicine means that we are frequently involved in ground breaking advancements in the field. We are currently involved in a study to examine the relationship between gastroesophageal reflux and sleep apnea, based on an emerging theory that gastroesophageal reflux is worsened by sleep apnea. Another study will explore the relationship between congestive heart failure and sleep apnea, to see if there is a direct correlation between the two. By expanding our knowledge and expertise, we continue to enhance the treatment we can offer our patients.

 

Sleep Lab

Specialized Care

World Trade Center Program