Milestone reached as World Sleep Day is observed on Friday, March 17

CAYMAN ISLANDS (March 16, 2017) – Health City Cayman Islands (HCCI) has completed 300 sleep studies, just in time for the 10th global observance of World Sleep Day on Friday, March 17.

World Sleep Day, created and hosted by World Sleep Society, is an internationally recognized awareness event bringing sleep health professionals and patients together for one important common cause: Sleep.

In 2017, the slogan is, “Sleep Soundly, Nurture Life.” The message is that quality of life with a sleep disorder can be improved, but recognition of sleep’s importance for overall health and well-being must come first.

Though most sleep disorders are preventable or treatable, less than one-third of sufferers seek professional help.

Current research suggests stroke is more prevalent in people living with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Heart failure is also 12-16% more prevalent in OSA patients. With statistics like this, World Sleep Day aims to inform the world about the importance of treating even mild sleep disorders. Individuals who struggle to get an entire night’s sleep without any interruptions experience higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and other chronic illnesses.

At Health City Cayman Islands, the Department of Pulmonology encompasses a wide range of care including sleep medicine, delivered in a new, state-of-the-art sleep laboratory.

Sleep disorder treatments are designed to diagnose underlying causes and restore normal sleep patterns. This care is provided by a multidisciplinary team of specialists because sleep disorders often have a physical, behavioural and psychological basis.

The HCCI Sleep Lab (as it is known) allows patients to stay overnight in a comfortable, hotel-like environment with a private room and bathroom. The HCCI sleep medicine team then analyses the patient’s sleep utilising a painless test called a polysomnogram.

During this all-night test, which lasts about seven hours, a trained sleep technologist will place electrodes or monitors on the patient’s head, scalp, chest, legs and abdomen, and a sensor near the nose and mouth. Monitoring is done to assess sleep patterns, identify different breathing patterns and diagnose disruptions in sleep.

The functions analyzed include brain activity; movements of the eyes, muscle activity of chin and limbs; oxygen saturation, nasal airflow, respiratory effort; heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure; snoring and sleep positions.

HCCI offers a full range of sleep disorder testing and treatment. At the patient’s first appointment, sleep specialists provide an initial consultation that lasts 45 to 80 minutes. During this visit, there will be discussion of the patient’s sleep, medical, and psychiatric histories. This visit may also include a physical examination and/or lab testing i.e., blood work, urinalysis, drug screening, and an electrocardiogram (EKG), a simple, initial test that measures the heart’s electrical efficiency by creating wave patterns.

During a shorter, 20 to 60 minute follow-up visit, the sleep specialist will review test results with the patient, initiate treatment, and monitor or modify treatment as needed.
Dr. Archita Joshi-Bhatt, Consultant in Pulmonology, heads the Sleep Medicine team at HCCI. With over 10 years of experience in respiratory care, she has also completed the American Academy of Sleep Medicine affiliated courses in Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Archita says, “We spend up to one-third of our lives sleeping as it is a basic human need, just like food. Sleep is crucial to our overall health and well-being. Sleep problems constitute a growing global epidemic that threatens health and quality of life of up to 45% of the world’s population. Unfortunately, only about 10% of people suffering from sleep disorders receive appropriate treatment. Even minimal sleep loss can take a toll on one’s mood, energy, and ability to handle stress. Sleep problems hinder daily functioning and can lead to accidents, but when they become chronic, a person’s long-term health can be adversely impacted. We are ready, willing and able at Health City to assist patients with sleep disorders to regain healthy and restorative sleep.”

World Sleep Day is being observed at HCCI through a variety of activities on Friday, March 17.

On that day, all outpatients coming in to HCCI will be invited to fill out a questionnaire to determine if they may be suffering from sleep apnea. Their answers on the confidential questionnaire will assist HCCI sleep medicine specialists to follow up with them.

Posters describing the effects of sleep disorders on daily life and good health will be displayed throughout the hospital at various locations.

As an internal initiative to promote Sleep Health among all those working in various roles at Health City Cayman Islands, Dr. Archita will also present an educational session to HCCI staff on the “Impact of Sleep on Quality of Life and How to Manage Shift Work and Sleep.”

About Health City Cayman Islands
Health City Cayman Islands, the vision of renowned heart surgeon and humanitarian Dr. Devi Shetty, is supported by two major healthcare organizations, Narayana Health and the U.S.-based Ascension, which is that nation’s largest faith-based and nonprofit health system, providing the highest quality care to all with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Health City Cayman Islands, which became only the second hospital in the Caribbean to receive the Joint Commission International’s “hospital accreditation” and in record time, provides compassionate, high-quality, affordable healthcare services in a world-class, comfortable, patient-centered environment. Offering healthcare to local, regional and international patients, Health City Cayman Islands delivers excellence in adult and pediatric cardiology, cardiac surgery, cardiac electrophysiology, medical oncology, orthopedics, sports medicine, pediatric endocrinology, gastrointestinal and bariatric surgery, neurology, interventional neurology and neurodiagnostics, neurosurgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, gynecology, dental, sleep medicine and pulmonology services.

For further information, visit www.healthcitycaymanislands.com.

Captions:
1. HCCI patient Matthew Leslie recently completed a sleep study to determine if he is experiencing sleep apnea. Mr. Leslie is scheduled for bariatric surgery with Health City Cayman Islands and is being filmed for a documentary on his experience.
2. Dr. Archita Joshi-Bhatt, Consultant in Pulmonology at Health City Cayman Islands.
3. The state-of-the-art sleep lab at Health City Cayman Islands.