A BETTER NIGHT'S REST

Are you having trouble falling asleep at night? Does your spouse keep you awake because he or she snores? Do you wake up in the middle of the night with the wheels in your mind turning? Did you know that 95% of people suffering from sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated? Did you realize vehicular crashes are the third leading cause of death and injury in the country, and 20% of those can be attributed to sleepiness?

Luckily there is help available at the Indiana Medical Association (IMA) Sleep Institute, located in southwest Fort Wayne. This fully accredited facility was established in March 2006 and is the first physician-owned diagnostic center for sleep disorders in northeast Indiana.

One of the most common sleep disorders treated at the sleep center is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Of the estimated 70 million people suffering from sleep problems in the U.S., 18 million have OSAS. This disorder involves a narrowing and eventual blockage of the patient's airway as they fall deep into sleep. Their breathing can stop completely for several seconds at a time. Common complaints with this disorder include daytime sleepiness, snoring, poor memory and even work-related accidents caused by inattentiveness. Weight loss, sleep-positional training, dental appliances or the application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy are common treatment options for OSAS.

Testing and treatment for other sleep-related problems are available at the Sleep Institute, as well, including narcolepsy, a genetic disorder of excessive sleepiness; periodic leg movement disorder; abnormal motor behavior during sleep, called REM sleep behavior disorder; seizures, when relevant clinical correlation is available; and insomnia. Patients should consult with their family physicians first if they feel daytime sleepiness is affecting their ability to function normally.

Sleep testing is done at the recommendation of a patient's primary care physician, or in the absence of a primary care doctor, physicians at the center can do a consultation and then order testing if necessary. The IMA Sleep Institute is designed to provide and conduct tests in a home-like environment. Patient rooms are comfortably furnished and include a private bathroom. Patients are monitored by the application of various electrodes that record different physiologic properties during sleep.

The Sleep Institute is directly supervised by Dr. Srinivasan Devanathan and Dr. Manuel A. Martinez. Dr. Devanathan trained in Pulmonary/CC/Sleep at the University of New Mexico and the Lovelace Sleep Disorders Center. Dr. Devanathan is certified in sleep disorders under both parent boards, the American Board of Sleep Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine/Medical Specialties/Sleep, and practices full time in the management of sleep disorders. Dr. Martinez is also a university-trained pulmonary/CC/sleep physician and completed his training at Indiana University.

The full-time staff at the Sleep Institute includes the program director, Kevin Hofstetter, BS, RCP, PSG.T., who oversees the daily operations, scheduling of patients and follow-up care and contacts patients after their treatment evaluations before initiating therapy. Hofstetter helps patients acquire any equipment they may need for therapy through home care companies, most of which is insurance based. He has more than fifteen years of experience with sleep disorders patients.

The Sleep Institute also has a coordinator, Annette Henneman, R.PSG. T., who has more than 14 years of experience. Henneman supervises three center technicians: Marci Heiney, PGS.T.; Frances Witsaman, R.PGS.T.; and Kevin Bleke, RRT, R.PGS.T. The staff is Basic Life Support (BLS) certified and has access to equipment to handle most emergency situations. There is easy access to one of the major hospital emergency rooms for quick transportation via EMS should a situation arise beyond the scope of services at the sleep center, as well.

If you feel that you might have a sleep disorder, consult with your family doctor to determine the best plan of attack. If a sleep study is ordered, the knowledgeable staff at the Sleep Institute will be glad to help you start getting a better night's rest.

Indiana Medical Association

Sleep Institute

Address: 1625 Magnavox Way Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804

Phone: (260) 432-0000

Fax: (260) 459-9247

Email: kevinh@indianamedical.com

Sleep Center Physicians: Manuel A. Martinez, MD,FCCP; and Srinivasan Devanathan, MD, D-ABSM, ABIM (Sleep)

Employees: 7

Years in Business: 2

Services Provided: Diagnosis of most sleep disorders through observation/overnight testing and follow-up treatment using several different treatment modalities.