Sleep Center helps kids have better night's rest
The Sleep Disorders Center at Children's Medical Center is the only dedicated pediatric sleep center in North Texas accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and that offers clinical evaluation, diagnosis and management of children with all forms of sleep disorders. The center has locations at its main campus, Children's Dallas, and at Children's at Legacy in Plano, Texas.
One of the conditions the Sleep Disorders Center treats is obstructive sleep apnea, commonly called OSA, in which breathing stops repeatedly during sleep, sometimes hundreds of times a night. Davion Thomas, 13, of Irving, Texas, was diagnosed with OSA at the Sleep Disorders Center.
As a result of his diagnosis, Davion was fitted with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. The CPAP machine delivers a low flow of air pressure through a soft mask placed over the nose to help keep the airway open while he sleeps. Using CPAP has helped Davion to become "rested and a lot more alert in the morning," said his mother, Clara Davis.
Prior to being fitted with the device, Davion would stop breathing during the night repeatedly, scaring his mother. Also, "he snored like a grown man," she said. Even getting his tonsils removed did not completely clear up the problem.
Davion said he likes the mask because it helps him to sleep through the night and to not be tired at school the next day. He's been using the CPAP machine since early 2009 and Davis said he is very proud of it.
"I used to wake up at night all the time," Davion said. "I was sleepy at school and couldn't pay as much attention."
Keith Robinson, 12, of Grand Prairie, Texas, also has OSA and had his tonsils and adenoids removed; however, like Davion, some of his OSA remained and needed to be treated. His mother, Geraldine Robinson, said she was up and down the stairs at night watching over him because of the condition. But thanks to his CPAP machine, he's breathing better and is not so tired at school. Keith also received his machine after having sleep studies conducted at Children's.
Sleep Center wins facility of the year from ADVANCE magazine
Because of its ability to help young patients like Davion and Keith in a specialized setting, the Sleep Center has been awarded the honored distinction of "Best Facility" by the trade magazine ADVANCE for Respiratory Care & Sleep Medicine in its annual competition, the National Sleep Achievement Awards.
During 2009, the center will perform approximately 2,000 sleep studies and 1,000 sleep consults, Larry Brewer, BA, RPSGT, the practice manager for the center, told ADVANCE.
Typical pediatric patients have enlarged tonsils or adenoids but others have chronic conditions that affect how they breathe when they sleep, such as obesity, restrictive lung disease, neuromuscular conditions, autism, Down Syndrome and craniofacial abnormalities.
"The award simply is a recognition of the hard work it took to put together a team of people committed to help children in the DFW area to sleep better and to be fully awake each day," said Dr. Kamal Naqvi, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Children's.
The Sleep Disorders Center at Children's helps kids get a good night's sleep.
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