Tampa General Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center offers assessment and continuing care for adults and children suffering from an assortment of sleeping disorders. Our center offers the largest multidisciplinary sleep services in Florid and we are proud to be one of the first centers in the U.S. to be accredited by the American Academies of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
We offer treatment for several sleep disorders at the TGH Sleep Disorders Center, including:
- Snoring – Caused by vibrations in the walls of the throat, snoring can result in sleep disruptions for the affected person as well as his/her bed partner. This can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, weight gain, and loss of memory, concentration or attention.
- Restless legs syndrome – This is a disorder of the nervous system that results in the urge to move the legs, resulting in restless sleep.
- Insomnia – This is characterized by prolonged inability to fall asleep or remain sleeping for an adequate length of time.
- Narcolepsy – This condition features uncontrollable and sudden attacks of deep sleep, sometimes experienced along with hallucinations or paralysis.
- Sleep apnea – Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes a person to pause their breathing or experience periods of shallow breathing while asleep.
- Obstructive sleep apnea – Also referred to as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, this is caused by weak or malformed pharyngeal tissues that result in obstruction of the upper airway. It is more prominent in obese middle-aged and elderly men, and its adverse effects can include insufficient oxygen in the blood and chronic drowsiness during the day.
- Parasomnias – These disruptive sleep disorders include nightmares, night terrors and sleepwalking, and are the result of arousals from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep or partial arousals from non-REM sleep.
Evaluation with a Polysomnogram
TGH’s Sleep Disorders Center evaluates a patient’s sleep patterns through the use of a polysomnogram – a test that uses electrodes to measure a patient’s bodily functions during sleep. The test measures:
- Brain waves
- Heartbeats
- Eye movements
- Chin movements
- Leg movements
- Breathing
- Blood oxygen levels
Once the test results have been summarized by one of our licensed sleep technologists or respiratory therapists, a review is performed by one of our board certified sleep physicians, who provides a diagnosis and recommended treatment.
Treatment Options
Treatments options offered by TGH’s Sleep Disorders Center include
- Radiofrequency ablation of problem areas (somnoplasty/coblation)
- Nonsurgical sleep apnea treatments such as CPAP/BIPAP and dental appliances
- Multilevel surgical treatments for snoring and sleep apnea.
Inspire Therapy: Implantable Device for Sleep Apnea
Tampa General Hospital recently performed the 250th implant of the new FDA-approved device, a landmark milestone
Inspire therapy is a pacemaker-like device for sleep apnea patients unable to use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Inspire therapy is the first kind of device that keeps airways open by sending a mild electrical shock that prevents the tongue from relaxing and obstructing the airway. One of the main causes of sleep apnea is that the tongue and throat muscles relax too much during sleep and can block breathing and wake the patient. People who suffer from sleep apnea lose important deep sleep time which can put them at higher risk for accidents, heart attack and stroke.
Sleep apnea controller Inspire therapy is a fully implanted system consisting of three components: a small generator, a sensing lead and a stimulation lead. The single external component is a small handheld Inspire sleep remote used to turn the therapy on before bed and off upon waking. When activated, Inspire therapy senses breathing patterns and delivers mild stimulation to key airway muscles, which keeps the airway open during sleep. In contrast to other surgical options to treat sleep apnea, Inspire therapy does not require removal or permanent alteration of facial or airway anatomy. As such, the procedure is less invasive and should result in a shorter recovery time.
