WellMax Sleep Center - Services
The Wellmax Sleep Center offers a unique portfolio of services to diagnose and treat
patients with sleep disorders. We use a multidisciplinary approach that brings together
several diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. This platform provides the most comprehensive
and cost effective means of meeting patients' needs.
Consultation or Direct Referral Primary
Care physicians and specialists can request a sleep consultation or may make a direct
referral for a specific test. Our sleep center staff is available for brief telephone
consultation to discuss specific patients to help guide the referral into a best
test direct referral and to explain our unique diagnostic options.
Polysomnography (Overnight sleep study)
Polysomnography,the simultaneous recording of neurologic and physiologic parameters
is an overnight test performed on sleeping patients. Polysomnography generally includes
monitoring of the patient's airflow through the nose and mouth, electrocardiographic
activity (ECG), blood oxygen level (SpO2), brain wave pattern (EEG), eye movement
(EOG), and the movement of respiratory muscles and limbs (EMG). Polysomnography
is used to help diagnose and evaluate a number of sleep disorders such as sleep
apnea, narcolepsy, parasomnias and to detect and evaluate seizures that occur during
the night. All waveforms are recorded and the patient is monitored by the sleep
technician via computer; the resultant study is then scored by a technician for
physician review and interpretation.
Ambulatory Portable Monitoring
Portable monitoring, which has been available for 10 years, is the simultaneous
recording of physiologic parameters in an overnight test to evaluate sleep disordered
breathing. Sleep disordered breathing by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
(formerly the American Sleep Disorders Association), includes central, mixed, and
obstructive apnea and hypopnea syndrome. Physiologic parameters include the ECG,
respiratory effort, airflow, saturation, pulse waveform and body position. These
unattended studies are done at home and may be performed in any setting; i.e., a
nursing home or assisted living facility. They are especially useful for patients
who may be physically unable to come to the lab or if the lab is booked and you
are strongly suspecting OSAHS as the problem. Ambulatory portable monitoring studies
are diagnostic screening studies and if they are abnormal they are followed up with
an in lab CPAP or BiPAP titration study. This process ensures that the home unit
will meet insurance requirements for payment.
