Midmark Corporation partners with Cleveland Medical Devices Inc., introducing Portable Home Sleep Testing Monitor...

October 17, 2011 - Midmark Corporation partners with Cleveland Medical Devices Inc., introducing Portable Home Sleep Testing Monitor that enables patients to be tested for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in comfort of their own homes

- The FDA-cleared, physician-prescribed SleepView® provides a convenient and cost-effective alternative for diagnosing the most common type of breathing-related sleep disorder -

Midmark Corporation, a trusted leader in digital diagnostic devices for ambulatory care, announced a partnership with Cleveland Medical Devices, a leader in sleep diagnostics technology, launching the Midmark SleepView® Monitor and SleepViewSM Portal.

The Midmark SleepView Monitor developed by Cleveland Medical Devices is the market’s smallest and lightest portable home sleep monitor that meets the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s recommended channel set for Type III monitors.

The Midmark SleepView Portal offers prescribing physicians secure, HIPAA compliant online access to registered polysomnographic technologists and board-certified sleep physicians who provide scoring, professional interpretation and treatment recommendations.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a repeated interruption of normal breathing during sleep due to a collapse of the upper airway. It is estimated to impact as many people as asthma and diabetes; yet, 85 percent of the population with the disease is undiagnosed and untreated. "There is a real need in the healthcare industry to address this large and growing clinical concern," said Tom Treon, senior product manager for Midmark. "We want to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of care for patients with OSA by providing another diagnostic option, which enables patients to be tested in the comfort of their own bed and convenience of their own home for a more natural night of sleep."

OSA does in fact hold serious health and economic consequences. Numerous studies link OSA to major chronic diseases such as stroke, heart failure, diabetes, obesity, hypertension and increased odds of serious car crash injuries. Economic studies have also shown that people with untreated OSA have 200 percent higher healthcare costs than similar people without OSA. Midmark has entered into a strategic partnership with Cleveland Medical Devices Inc. (CleveMed) for licensing of the SleepView technology. Established in 1990, CleveMed is a leader in sleep diagnostics technology with products serving sleep labs, institutional and home settings... Cleveland Medical Devices' press Release -

Philips : Home oxygen measurement solution for sleep and ventilation launched at ERS 2011

September 29, 2011 - Philips’ latest launch reinforces its commitment to providing monitoring solutions that support patient care at home - Home oxygen measurement solution for sleep and ventilation launched at ERS 2011 - Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) has launched the new Oximetry Module, a home oxygen measurement device designed to monitor people diagnosed with respiratory disorders such as sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to record their blood oxygen level by means of a single finger probe.

The Oximetry Module, which was launched during the 2011 Congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) in Amsterdam, is designed to help physicians to better determine whether complex respiratory events are present during a person’s period of sleep at home.

“Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) (or home ventilation) has been demonstrated to be effective treatment in some forms of respiratory failure. When starting NIV, it seems desirable to verify whether this particular form of treatment is effective and has no untoward effects. Greater insight, provided by simple cost effective monitoring tools like oximetry and other signals obtained from non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) devices; help identify issues early in the patient’s therapy. This subsequently improves their long term outcomes and quality of life... Philips' Press Release -

Siesta Medical : 510(k) Clearance for Encore™ System

September 12, 2011 - Siesta Medical, Inc. (Private), a developer of minimally invasive surgical solutions for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), announced today that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Encore™ Tongue Suspension System for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major heath problem in the United States. As many as 17 million people in the United States have moderate to severe OSA, which is characterized by frequent awakening during sleep, heavy snoring and daytime sleepiness. If left untreated, OSA has been implicated in the increased risk for cardiovascular disease, including hypertension and heart failure. Despite its prevalence and role as a cardiovascular risk factor, OSA remains largely under diagnosed.

The first line and most common treatment for OSA is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, utilized by an estimated three million Americans. While effective, CPAP is difficult for patients to use.

Surgical therapy for OSA is less common than CPAP therapy. Although there are approximately one million new diagnoses of OSA in the U.S. each year, there are only approximately 100,000 surgical treatments for OSA performed annually. Surgery is less prevalent as most current procedures are not highly effective, are painful to the patient and do not address tongue based obstructions. The tongue is implicated in approximately 80 percent of OSA.

The Encore™ Tongue Suspension System

The EncoreTM System is used in a minimally invasive surgical procedure where the tongue is suspended forward with the intent of preventing collapse of the airway during sleep. The procedure is performed under local or general anesthesia by Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists, also known as Otolaryngologists. During the procedure, an intra-tissue suture passer is used to place a suspension loop in the tongue which is then attached to the base of the chin with a knotless bone anchor. The EncoreTM System greatly simplifies tongue suspension and provides the surgeon excellent control of positioning and tensioning of the suspension loop.

Siesta Medical is currently planning a multi-center U.S. post-marketing study... [PDF] Siesta Medical's Press Release -