When it comes to sleep diagnostics, Nox Medical can do it all. That’s why many leading medical centers and research institutions throughout the United States rely on Nox systems to keep their sleep labs running, including Tampa General Hospital (TGH), a 1,040-bed research and academic health system in Tampa, Florida.
TGH deploys the Nox T3s home sleep test and the Nox A1s polysomnography for both in-lab and ambulatory sleep studies, reaching diverse patient populations. In particular, the hospital sees a large number of cardiovascular patients and many central sleep apnea patients.
“Central sleep apnea is not as common, but for us it is very common because we have patients with heart failure who frequently have central sleep apnea, so we have to do specialized studies in the lab,” says Dr. Mac Anderson, MD, program director of sleep medicine at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
Specialized sleep studies for central sleep apnea may include a hypoglossal stimulator or a phrenic nerve stimulator that goes to the diaphragm, all of which needs to be properly monitored in the sleep lab. “We have one platform provided by the company that allows us with the diversity to evaluate all of that,” says Anderson.
The clinicians deploy the Noxturnal software for scoring, analysis and reporting, which connects to TGH electronic medical records (EMR) system with bi-directional EMR interface.
Using Nox Medical diagnostic equipment and software, the sleep lab staff at TGH was also impressed by the ability to see the sleep signals at bedside using a tablet.
By using the Noxtural software and application, sleep techs working in in-lab settings no longer need to run back and forth from the patient to the computer room to check for signal quality and fix bad connections.
A portable tablet allows a clinician to conduct tasks like biocalibration and signal check at the patient’s bedside during hookup, instead of running these from a remote-control room and relying on video/intercom. This way, the clinician receives immediate feedback on signal quality and does not need to spend time running back and forth to check the signal.
“That was one of the really outstanding features that prompted us to go with Nox versus any other company,” says Robby Beauchamp, the sleep disorder program coordinator.
Additionally, the wireless nature of the sleep equipment makes for a smoother experience for both patients and providers. The patient is able to get up and walk around — they are never tethered to the bed.
“When the patient walks into the sleep room, it does not look like a hospital room,” says Beauchamp. The device, the Nox A1s, for polysomnography is a sleek, small device that enables the patient the freedom to get up and move around during the night.
“People who have had the old sleep studies, they are expecting the wires everywhere, they are expecting to be tethered to the bed, they really like the ability to be able to get up and move during the night,” says Elizabeth Kohler, sleep assistant at TGH.
If your computer goes down during the night, the entire sleep study is recorded and backed up on the device itself, so there is less of a risk of losing any data.
“It’s fast, it’s efficient. One night: they get their information and they can go home and have the physician call them and say ‘This is what you need. This is how we can help you,'” says Kohler.
“To be able to put together a program, and then have in the background a company that’s going to listen to our needs, change things as we need it, and be able to evaluate our patients in a timely manner, so we can get our job done and make the patient better, has been great for us,” says Anderson.
Topic: Industry News
