Publications by authors named "William J Healy"

Insomnia is highly prevalent and is one of the most common sleep disorders amongst adults and children in the US. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) convened the Quality Measures Task Force (Task Force) to perform maintenance on this quality measure set, developed to optimize management and care for patients with insomnia, as the measure set was originally developed and published in 2015. The Task Force reviewed the current medical literature, including updated clinical practice guidelines and systematic literature reviews, existing quality measures, and performance data highlighting gaps or variations in care since implementation of the original quality measure set to inform any potential revisions to the quality measures.

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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent pathology with current modalities of treatment including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), surgery, weight loss, hypoglossal nerve stimulation, and pharmacotherapy. While CPAP is the current standard treatment for OSA, lack of tolerance and side effects necessitate alternative modalities of treatment. Various pharmacologic agents exist with mechanisms that may target OSA.

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Purpose Of Review: Racial disparities in sleep health as well as the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders have emerged as a key driver of cardiovascular outcomes. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is characterized by repeated airway obstructions during sleep and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. While racial and ethnic minorities have disproportionately high OSA prevalence rates, diagnosis rates remain low.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Insomnia is common among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems, suggesting a possible interconnection between the two conditions.
  • - This study analyzed demographic and clinical factors among dialysis patients (2005-2019) to identify what increases the risk of insomnia, focusing on factors like age, race, and existing cardiovascular diseases (like diabetes and heart failure).
  • - Findings revealed that certain conditions (like obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension) increase insomnia risk, while being older, non-white, or using specific dialysis methods may reduce that risk; further research is recommended to explore the underlying mechanisms.
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Purpose Of Review: Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has historically been centered on outpatients given sleep testing is performed on an outpatient basis. Much of this practice originates from insurers only covering sleep testing on an outpatient basis. Over the last decade, there have been innovations made in the portability of sleep monitors which have allowed sleep testing on inpatients to be facilitated.

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Unlabelled: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent respiratory sleep disorder that, when left undiagnosed or untreated, can lead to adverse outcomes. There continue to be gaps and variations in screening adults who are high risk for OSA in the primary care setting, leading to many adults in the United States going undiagnosed. As a part of the ongoing American Academy of Sleep Medicine quality measure maintenance initiative, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Quality Measures Task Force reviewed the original screening for adult OSA by primary care physicians quality measure.

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Unlabelled: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common respiratory sleep disorder in the United States in preschool and school-aged children. In an effort to continue addressing gaps and variations in care in this patient population, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Quality Measures Task Force performed quality measure maintenance on the Quality Measures for the Care of Pediatric Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (originally developed in 2015). The Quality Measures Task Force reviewed the current medical literature, including updated clinical practice guidelines and systematic literature reviews, existing pediatric OSA quality measures, and performance data highlighting remaining gaps or variations in care since implementation of the original quality measure set to inform any potential revisions to the quality measures.

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Background: Sleep disturbances in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are common and more prevalent than in the general population. This study aims to assess the demographic and clinical risk factors for the diagnosis of sleep disorders in ESRD patients.

Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) to evaluate risk factors for the diagnosis of sleep disorders, including hypersomnolence, insomnia, restless leg syndrome (RLS), or obstructive or central sleep apnea (OSA/CSA).

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Central sleep apnea (CSA) frequently coexists with heart failure and atrial fibrillation and contributes to cardiovascular disease progression and mortality. A transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation (TPNS) system has been approved for the first time by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of CSA. This system, remedē System (Zoll Medical, Inc.

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