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Biomedical subjects

W Schmidt-Nowara

Publications and source records attributed to W Schmidt-Nowara.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

A review of sleep disorders. The history and diagnosis of sleep disorders related to the dentist.

The last 4 decades have seen the emergence of a new medical specialty, sleep medicine. In response to an unfulfilled clinical need, and fueled by better understanding of the significance of sleep disorders, sleep medicine developed medical solutions for age-old problems with sleep and wakefulness. Sleep-disordered breathing has played a central role in this story. Therapy and management offered by the dentist has become recognized as an important aspect of care for patients with SDB. Dentists who offer this service need to become acquainted with the multifactorial nature of sleep medicine to serve their patients better and to facilitate their interaction with other sleep medicine clinicians.

History of Dentistry↗
PubMed1999

Reversal of sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome in end-stage renal disease after kidney transplantation.

Sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) is extremely common in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Although the underlying mechanisms linking these 2 conditions remain to be better defined, it is likely that multiple factors are involved. We report an individual with ESRD with severe SAHS that resolved after kidney transplantation. The improvement in SAHS paralleling the effective treatment of ESRD suggests the pathogenesis involves an unstable breathing pattern, possibly caused by an altered metabolic state, uremia, and changes in volume status. The possibility that elevations in cytokine levels could be involved also is discussed and deserves further attention.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The indications for polysomnography and related procedures.

This paper is a review of the literature on the use of polysomnography in the diagnosis of sleep disorders in the adult. It is based on a search of MEDLINE from January 1966 through April 1996. It has been reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors of the American Sleep Disorders Association and provides the background for the accompanying ASDA Standards of Practice Committee's Parameters for the Practice of Sleep Medicine in North America. The diagnostic categories reviewed are: sleep-related breathing disorders; other respiratory disorders; narcolepsy; parasomnias and sleep-related epilepsy; restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorders: insomnia; and circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Where appropriate, previously published practice parameters papers are cited and discussed. The relevant published peer-reviewed literature used as the basis for critical decisions was compiled into accompanying evidence tables and is analyzed in the text. In the section on the assessment of sleep apnea syndrome, options for estimating pretest probability to select high risk patients are also reviewed. Sleep-testing procedures other than standard polysomnography are also addressed (daytime polysomnography, split-night studies, oximetry, limited full respiratory recordings, and less-than-full respiratory recording) and treatment-related follow-up studies are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Sleep and neuromuscular disease: frequency of sleep-disordered breathing in a neuromuscular disease clinic population.

We investigated 60 adult and pediatric patients (33 male, 27 female) with various neuromuscular disorders for sleep-disordered breathing in a clinic population at a local altitude of 1,500 m. Measurements included a questionnaire concerning symptoms of sleep and daytime function, a disability index, and pulmonary function tests. We used an EdenTrace monitor for 1 night to evaluate breathing during sleep and calculated mean and minimum oxygen saturation (SpO2), total apneas, hypopneas, and respiratory disturbance index (RDI). We had validated the EdenTrace II monitor prior to the study. The majority of the patients had symptoms of daytime dysfunction. The frequency of sleep-disordered breathing in this population was much higher (42% with RDI > 15) than frequencies indicated in recent population-based surveys. Spirometry revealed no positional effect in this population. Statistical analysis comparing RDI with disability index, pulmonary function tests, age, sex, body mass index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scales identified no strong correlates that could be used as predictors of sleep-disordered breathing in this population. Sleep studies using ambulatory equipment such as the EdenTrace II are an easy and effective means of identifying sleep-disordered breathing in patients with neuromuscular disorders and, given the high frequency of sleep-disordered breathing in our sample, should be performed on most patients with neuromuscular disorders if sleep-disordered breathing is to be identified early.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

OA for OSA.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Humans↗
PubMed1995

Oral appliances for the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea: a review.

This paper, which has been reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors of the American Sleep Disorders Association, provides the background for the Standards of Practice Committee's parameters for the practice of sleep medicine in North America. The 21 publications selected for this review describe 320 patients treated with oral appliances for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. The appliances modify the upper airway by changing the posture of the mandible and tongue. Despite considerable variation in the design of these appliances, the clinical effects are remarkably consistent. Snoring is improved and often eliminated in almost all patients who use oral appliances. Obstructive sleep apnea improves in the majority of patients; the mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in this group of patients was reduced from 47 to 19. Approximately half of treated patients achieved an AHI of < 10; however, as many as 40% of those treated were left with significantly elevated AHIs. Improvement in sleep quality and sleepiness reflects the effect on breathing. Limited follow-up data indicate that oral discomfort is a common but tolerable side effect, that dental and mandibular complications appear to be uncommon and that long-term compliance varies from 50% to 100% of patients. Comparison of the risk and benefit of oral appliance therapy with the other available treatments suggests that oral appliances present a useful alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), especially for patients with simple snoring and patients with obstructive sleep apnea who cannot tolerate CPAP therapy.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗