Watch PAT Specialist

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Prima Health Clinic - - Internal Medicine

Prima Health Clinic

Internists & Anti-Aging & Restorative Medicine located in Dallas, TX

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects about 9% of women and 24% of men, leading to serious cardiovascular problems when left untreated. To get the treatment you need, you must first undergo a sleep study, so you’ll be glad to know that the providers at Prima Health Clinic in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas, area offer today’s most advanced and comfortable option: WatchPAT home sleep apnea testing. The WatchPAT is easier to use than other home sleep study devices and produces superior results. To schedule an appointment, call Prima Health Clinic or request an appointment online.

Watch PAT Q&A

When should I talk with my doctor about sleep apnea?

When you have sleep apnea, you stop breathing while you sleep. In severe cases, you could stop breathing 30 times or more every hour, which causes serious health problems like high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart arrhythmias.

Most people aren’t aware they stop breathing while they sleep, but if you experience any of the following symptoms, it’s time to schedule an appointment at Prima Health Clinic:

  • Loud snoring
  • Fatigue during the day
  • Morning headache
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Frequent trips to the bathroom at night

You should take it seriously if your partner or housemate comment on your loud snoring because it’s the top symptom of sleep apnea. Your partner may also notice a cycle where you snore, suddenly get quiet when you stop breathing, then gasp as you start to breathe again.

What is WatchPAT?

WatchPAT is an at-home sleep study device that’s different from the other devices currently available. Most home sleep studies use multiple sensors, including a nose cannula and an expandable belt around your chest, which are all attached to a monitor with wires.

The WatchPAT has two components: one piece fits over your fingertip and the second is worn around your wrist like a watch. The innovative technology used in the device, called Peripheral Arterial Tone (PAT), measures changes in arterial blood flow at your fingertip.

By detecting arterial blood flow, WatchPAT accurately measures activity in your sympathetic nervous system. These nerves are automatically activated when you stop breathing, allowing the WatchPAT to capture the information needed to diagnose sleep apnea.

How effective is WatchPAT for diagnosing sleep apnea?

The WatchPAT produces results that are similar in quality and reliability to laboratory sleep studies. Additionally, the WatchPAT captures more information than home sleep tests that only measure your breathing, oxygen levels, and breathing effort.  

When you wear the WatchPat, your provider receives information about:

Real sleep time

The WatchPAT measures actual sleep time, which reduces the risk of misdiagnosis by 20%.

Key sleep apnea measurements

The WatchPAT determines your apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), respiratory distress index (RDI), and oxygen desaturation index (ODI), which are the most important values for determining the severity of your apnea.

The WatchPAT also determines your:

  • Heart rate
  • Body position
  • Snoring intensity
  • Sleep states
  • Sleep fragmentation

This vital information about your breathing and sleeping patterns is easy to obtain. Before you go to bed, you simply fasten the device around your wrist, place the probe over your finger, and turn it on.

To learn whether you have sleep apnea or to find out more about WatchPAT, call Prima Health Clinic or book an appointment online today.

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