The Sleep Center in Aiken, SC

The Sleep Center at Aiken Regional Medical Centers is dedicated to the successful diagnosis of sleep-related disorders. The center contains four private bedrooms, each with modern equipment to perform specialized studies of breathing and abnormal behaviors during sleep. Sleep studies are usually conducted at night in rooms that have been designed to make your stay as much like home as possible. The Sleep Evaluation Center’s clean, spacious sleeping rooms include a full-size bed, recliner, cable TV and DVD/VCR player. A sleep technologist is available throughout the sleep study to attend to any patient needs or questions.

Insurance and Fees

Medicare and most insurance plans generally cover the sleep study test. Contact your insurance company for verification of benefits or feel free to ask our business office for assistance.

Testing Performed at The Sleep Center at Aiken Regional

If you suspect you have a sleep disorder, consult with your primary care physician and he or she will determine if a sleep study is necessary. The sleep study will provide your physician with information about how you breathe and sleep. This data will help your physician to determine the type and severity of your sleep disorder. It can also help to determine your treatment options.

Home Sleep Testing

The Sleep Center at Aiken Regional Medical Centers is pleased to offer Home Sleep Testing as an alternative service to an overnight, attended sleep study (polysomnography). A Home Sleep Test (HST) is a simplified version of the overnight study and focuses mainly on nighttime breathing. Because the emphasis is on breathing, it uses fewer sensors and there are less parameters measured.

Not all patients are good candidates for a home test and not all insurance carriers will cover the cost of the study. Home sleep tests are generally used when the physician has already determined the patient has a strong possibility of having moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and meet the clinical indications listed below:

• Adults age 18 or older.
• No suspicion of complex sleep disorders (narcolepsy, parasomnia, central sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder
• No comorbid condition (moderate to severe pulmonary disease, neuromuscular/neurodegenerative disease, significant cardiac disease, uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmias, pulmonary hypertension, history of prior stroke, or congestive heart failure).

The patient will come to the center to pick up the equipment where they will meet with one of our technicians to learn how to properly place the sensors and start the study. In the morning, they will remove the sensors and return the equipment to the Sleep Evaluation Center where the overnight data will be analyzed and interpreted by a Sleep Specialist physician. A report will be sent to your physician to discuss the results.

Overnight Sleep Studies

There are three common types of overnight sleep studies performed at the Sleep Evaluation Center:

• First Night Diagnostic Study (PSG): This study measures the patient’s sleep without any intervention. It’s typically used to diagnose or rule out a sleep disorder
• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Titration: PSG performed during a CPAP titration when CPAP is the recommended treatment option. The technologist adjusts the setting on the CPAP machine to determine how much air pressure is needed to normalize the patient’s breathing.
• Split Night Study: Patients may be referred for a split-night CPAP titration when there is a very strong clinical suspicion of severe OSA after an initial clinical evaluation. During a split night study the technician can apply and titrate CPAP therapy midway through the study. A split night study must also meet standard criteria of greater than 3 hours of titration time and that the CPAP therapy helped normalize the patient’s breathing. If these criteria are not met the patient may have to return for a full night CPAP Titration Study.

These three tests will require you to spend the night at the Sleep Center at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. A few days before your test, you will receive information and a questionnaire to complete and bring with you the night of your sleep study. A staff member will escort you to an attractive, comfortable room where your sleep test will be conducted.

Before you retire for the evening, a technician will place several small electrodes, or sensors, on your body. These will record your body movements, brain waves, heart rate, air flow, breathing and blood/oxygen levels. They will not restrict your movement or cause you discomfort. The technician will remain in an adjoining room throughout your test, and will wake you the next morning.

The results of your testing will be documented in a report and reviewed by a physician credentialed in interpreting sleep study tests. The report will then be sent to your referring physician who will discuss the results of your report and various treatment options with you.