Using the Watch–PAT 200 to Diagnose OSA
Treena Hanschke, BSC,
RRT The Snore Shop Dartmouth,
Nova Scotia, Canada
www.thesnoreshop.ca
BENEFITING AND ENHANCING THE SLEEP STUDY
When performing a sleep study, a common problem that arises is that we do not see a true night’s sleep from our patients because they are not sleeping as they typically sleep due to having wires, pouches and bands around their chest. Additionally, there were failures with the oximeter probe falling off or the cannula falling out. Although 2 hours may be sufficient for a good test, many times during those 2 hours the patient may report being awake. At the Snore Shop we wanted solid, accurate studies, so that led us to the Watch–PAT. The Watch–PAT’s reliable cutting–edge technology seemed to provide more information about a person’s one–night sleep than other ambulatory sleep testing devices that are available in the market. In particular the RDI, AHI, and ODI are together very useful; not too many devices provide all three of those indexes. What is extremely useful is the Watch–PAT’s ability to monitor the sleep stages and quantify how much REM percentage–wise that a patient is getting. It is incredibly easy to use and accurate from both ends, from a patient and clinician’s prospective.
EFFICIENT TRAINING PROCESS
The training process was very straightforward. It basically involved a visit from Itamar representatives to demonstrate the device to us. They installed all necessary software on our computers and then walked us through and trained us on the software so we could use it proficiently. The evening after I received the device, I decided to test for myself what it was like to sleep with the device. My information was downloaded the following day and the Itamar representatives showed us how to perform the download and analyze the study correctly. The duration of the training was four hours in the afternoon and then another hour in the morning. It was very easy and provided us with more than enough incentive to proceed with trailing the Watch–PAT at the Snore Shop.
CONVENIENT AND EASY–TO–USE
The Watch–PAT is not only easy for us to use in terms of downloading and analyzing a sleep study, but it was the response of our patients that was remarkable. For the patient, it was much easier to use than the current device that they were being administered at our sleep center. The study devices that we had been using previously, failed our patients because we did not receive enough information about their sleep. Our frustration ended once we decided to move forward with the Watch–PAT. Using the Watch–PAT is quite efficient and when we have a patient come in for a sleep study, these appointments normally take up to 30 minutes. The majority of the time is spent gathering the patients’ medical history and screening for the certain Watch–PAT exclusions. Our patients watch the 5–minute instruction video on site and this is usually sufficient to answer most of their questions about the device. In addition, there is a 1–800–number available for the patient to call in the middle of the night or at anytime they wish which directly connects the patient to a live technician standing by in case the patient had questions or needs assistance. I consider this level of service to be a huge asset and it really means a lot to our patients.
For more information about the Watch–PAT 200 please visit www.itamar–medical.com