Las Vegas – Last year brought unprecedented academic and consumer attention lavished on sleep medicine, and that trend is continuing in 2014. Sleep research originating in the United States and abroad continues to pour forth on almost a weekly basis.

The interest in sleep is reflected in the exhibitor list at Medtrade Spring, which includes the following sleep/sleep accessory companies:

The post Sleep-Related Exhibitors at Medtrade Spring Reflect Keen Interest in Sleep appeared first on Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released findings from what government officials are calling a “real world, third-party study” that shows two nights rest is better than one.

The FMCSA news release says the latest study provides further scientific evidence that the restart provision in the current hours-of-service rule for truck drivers is more effective at combatting fatigue than the prior version.

“Safety is our top priority, and this new study shows more data-driven evidence that our safety standards help truckers stay well-rested, alert and focused on the road,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “The hours-of-service rule is helping to reduce truck driver fatigue and making every traveler on our highways and roads safer.”

Scientists measured sleep, reaction time, sleepiness and driving performance in the study. They found that drivers who began their work week with just one nighttime period of rest, as compared to the two nights in the updated 34-hour restart break:

• exhibited more lapses of attention, especially at night;

• reported greater sleepiness, especially toward the end of their duty periods; and

• showed increased lane deviation in the morning, afternoon and at night.

“This new study confirms the science we used to make the hours-of-service rule more effective at preventing crashes that involve sleepy or drowsy truck drivers,” said Federal Motor Carrier Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “For the small percentage of truckers that average up to 70 hours of work a week, two nights of rest is better for their safety and the safety of everyone on the road.”

The study “Field Study on the Efficacy of the New Restart Provision for Hours of Service“ was conducted by the Washington State University, Spokane – Sleep and Performance Research Center and Philadelphia-based Pulsar Informatics, Inc. FMCSA officials claim it is one of the largest real-world studies ever conducted with commercial motor vehicle drivers, and included 106 participants, 1,260 days of data and nearly 415,000 miles of driving that were recorded by the truck-based data acquisition systems.

According to FMCSA, working long hours on a continuing basis is associated with chronic fatigue, a high risk of crashes, and a number of serious chronic health conditions in drivers. The updated 34-hour restart, includes two nighttime periods from 1 to 5 a.m., and is intended to provide sufficient time for a driver to recuperate from cumulative fatigue if they work beyond the weekly maximum on-duty limits.

Source: FMSCA

The post New Trucking Study Says Two Nights Sleep Safer than One appeared first on Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy.

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An article in Modern Healthcare outlines the chief concerns of foes and friends of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care. At the top of the list is overall quality. Will it get better or worse?

The post The ACA May Improve Insurance Access, but What About Quality? appeared first on Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy.

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Remote monitoring for CPAP compliance is alive and well in France, and if usage falls below certain levels, patients could be rated as “non compliant” and costs may no longer be reimbursed.

An recent article reports that people in France treated for sleep apnea have been subjected to remote monitoring where medical data is being recorded, transmitted (generally via the internet), and interpreted elsewhere—possibly leading to decisions on subsequent treatment. Patients’ associations have complained but reporter Dr. Nicoloas Postel-Vinay at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris says their objections have so far gone unheeded.

The post No Play, No Pay in France appeared first on Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy.

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Newly introduced Senate bill S 1941, a companion to HR 3578, would compel the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to go through the more stringent “rulemaking” process before implementing policy changes related to sleep disorders. The current practice of issuing “guidelines” makes it easier to regulate private pilots when it comes to sleep-related problems.

According to a report in the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the legislation was introduced by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WVa) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla), who are both AOPA members.

“The legislation comes in response to the FAA’s unilateral announcement of a policy that would require pilots with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater to undergo expensive and intrusive sleep apnea testing,” writes AOPA reporter Elizabeth Tennyson. “The FAA initially said it planned to lower the BMI requirement over time, potentially affecting more than 120,000 pilots with a BMI of 30 or higher.”

“As a pilot myself, I recognize that there is nothing more important than making sure our skies are safe, and I appreciate the FAA’s efforts to offer the best guidance on how to do so,” said Manchin on the AOPA Web site. “I also believe that government should work as a partner with the private sector. It’s just common sense to let the pilot community provide public feedback during the rulemaking process before the FAA finalizes any new guidelines.”

“This bill protects our nation’s pilots by ensuring that any changes to the medical certification requirements are done in a manner consistent with the well-established rulemaking process that allows for thorough consideration and adequate public input,” added Inhofe. “This is a classic ‘bureaucrats know best’ effort by the FAA regarding the personal health of those in the aviation industry. I am proud to join Sen. Manchin in introducing legislation that would enforce transparency with FAA’s latest change to its medical certification requirement and ensure pilots, air traffic controllers, and other stakeholders who would be potentially impacted have a voice.”

Source: AOPA

The post Private pilots are a step closer to securing the same sleep apnea “rulemaking” mandate that commercial truckers bagged last year appeared first on Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy.

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