SLEEP 2007 Woos More Attendees with New Findings, Medical Developments
SLEEP 2007 kicked off June 11 in Minneapolis. This year's attendance of some 5,800 sleep physicians, researchers and technicians was the largest to date.
The conference's presenters laid out more than 1,100 new findings and medical developments related to sleep and sleep disorders, including insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movements. In the exhibit hall, 140 manufacturers exhibited new products and services.
Parasomnia expert Dr. Mark Mahowald gave the keynote address, in which he suggested that all sleep disorders can be linked with parasomnias -- undesirable physical phenomena during sleep that involve skeletal muscle activity or autonomic nervous system changes.
Mahowald discussed his research in the disorders that manifest in between the three major sleep stages -- awake, REM sleep, and non-REM sleep, parasomnia being one of these.
Mahowald also emphasized the importance of sleep specialists paying close attention to what patients' verbal reports; patient interviews are essential for findings of scientific value to emerge from sleep studies, he said.
Other highlights from the show:
VIASYS offered a sneak peek of prototypes for upcoming new products, look for an August release.
Respironics offered educational sessions on topics ranging from mask fitting and design to compliance monitoring.
Dr. Alejandro Chediak is the 22nd president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He is associate professor of medicine at the University of Miami at Mount Sinai. Dr. Mary Susan Esther is president-elect.
Several poster presentations discussed the importance of education for sleep therapy compliance.
The American Association of Sleep Apnea touted a new component of its Web site: www.sleepapnea.tv which houses pictures, MP3 files, video and text. The organization will soon add live a section to its site that will let registered users rate and comment on various masks and machines.
Select Comfort, the maker of the Sleep Number Bed used in many sleep labs, sponsored a sleep lounge for participants to take a break between sessions. Several beds were set up enabling visitors to take a nap, grab a snack and witness pressure mapping.
This article originally appeared in the June 2007 issue of HME Business.