Sleep diagnosis and treatment

The Ciro Academic Sleeping Centre (ASC) evaluates and treats the entire spectrum of sleep disorders. The sleep-related respiratory disorders include: obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea and hypoventilation syndromes.

The ASC's medical staff is made up of three lung physicians, a physician assistant and nine sleep analysts or nurses who specialise in caring for people with sleep disorders. The ASC is also a training centre for lung physicians in Maastricht UMC + to study sleep-related respiratory distress disorders.

Sleep scans

The ASC has nine clinical beds with full video polysomnography capability for advanced sleep analysis and an outpatient clinic for ongoing care and guidance for people with sleep disorders. In 2016 there were 1,652 overnight stays at the ASC for diagnosis and treatment and 4,095 outpatient visits.

ASC evaluates sleep disorders through patient interviews, standardised questionnaires, sleep diaries, oxygen measurements, carbon dioxide measurements, sleep position monitoring, cardio respiratory poly (somno) and clinically monitored video polysomnography.

During their visit to the ASC, patients are invited to a group presentation and also take part in individual conversations. Additional resources include brochures and phone consultations.

Therapy

Patient treatment includes lifestyle recommendations, behavioural therapy and access to weight loss and stop-smoking modules. Patients with sleep-related respiratory distress are treated with positional therapy, mandibular reposition therapy and various respiratory therapy devices, such as CPAP, auto-CPAP, bi-level-PAP, adaptive servo ventilation and non-invasive breathing. If patients needs surgery, they are not performed in the ASC but are referred to specialised centres.

To ensure a multidisciplinary approach to evaluate and treat patients with sleep disorders, regular consultations take place with KNO doctors, cardiologists, psychiatrists, home therapy centres and other specialised sleep centres.

Faster targeted treatment

The Academic Sleep Centre continuously promotes the process to evaluate and treat sleep disorders. The process steps — from conversations with a doctor, sleep scan, analysis and the treatment, to finding immediate help — prevent waiting times and lead to faster access to therapy.

Therefore:

• Diagnostics are conducted immediately after the sleep examination, so patients will learn their test results the morning after the sleep scan. This way, therapy can be planned right away;
• Analysis of the selected cases and in consultation with the patient, the sleep analysts, the overnight examination and treatment can start right away instead of at the end when the data is viewed as in a split-night survey;
• If an ambulatory therapy setting with a mask (CPAP) is required, it is offered the day after the sleep scan has been done;
• If clinically monitored therapy with a mask (CPAP) is required, it will be performed within two weeks after the diagnostic sleep scan and the result will be discussed the morning after the patients’ stay;
• By solving the specialised sleep issues during a clinically monitored treatment with a mask (CPAP), and therapy problems during the evaluation, we can ensure an optimal start to therapy;
• The patient is provided the necessary therapy equipment directly in the sleep centre.

Thanks to this continuous and optimised process, patients get the right treatment faster and easily get used to a CPAP breathing mask. In rural areas, 25% of patients stop their CPAP treatment within two months. At Ciro Academic Sleeping Centre, results are much better with only 7% stopping within the first year!

Read more about the expertise of the Ciro Academic Sleep Centre.