Sleep apnea is any cessation of breathing in a sleeping person, lasting 10 seconds or more, accompanied by awakening and a drop in oxygen saturation. For clinical manifestations to appear, more than 15 apneas per hour of sleep are usually required. Sleep apneas are divided into central, in which there is no inspiratory effort during the apnea, and obstructive, in which the inspiratory effort continues and increases as long as the apnea lasts. Obstructive apneas are common in the general population and have a higher frequency with increasing age. At the age of 30-60, it occurs in 10-24% of men and 6-9% of women, while 2-4% of them experience daytime sleepiness.
The definitive diagnosis of the sleep apnea disorder is made with the polysomnography sleep study (Polysomnography, PSG), which is a diagnostic technique of simultaneous recording of neurophysiological, cardiorespiratory and other biological signals during sleep, as an electroencephalogram, electromyogram, electrooculogram, electrocardiogram, airflow, chest and abdominal wall movement, oxygen saturation, recording of snoring and body position. By simultaneously recording all these parameters, the disorder is confirmed or excluded and its severity is assessed.
The Sleep Study Laboratory of IASO THESSALIAS has a state-of-the-art recording machine with 40 recording channels, connected to a suitable data processing computer and capable of continuous and safe recording for at least 15 hours. The recording is constantly monitored by trained personnel and the examination result is based on an analysis by qualified medical personnel. The laboratory is located within the hospital, in a space that ensures the coverage of the patient in the event of a complication or incident during his/her stay and includes a soundproof, air-conditioned, single room, equipped with a suitable video monitoring of the patient and an intercom system that allows the patient and staff to communicate with each other. The paramedical staff who monitor the study when it takes place, is located in a separate area, with direct visual contact with the sleeping room and communicates with it with an intercom system and a bell. The sleep laboratory is integrated into the pulmonology clinic of IASO THESSALIAS and has as a scientific director a specialist pulmonologist, given that pulmonology is the closest specialty to sleep apnea and, both in Greece and internationally, sleep study laboratories are mainly associated with pulmonology clinics.
