| Dr. Dana Supe, M.D., Named Director of Sleep Diagnostics Lab at Deborah Heart and Lung Center | ||||
| Pulmonologist/Critical Care Specialist Dana Supe, MD, has been named director of the Sleep Diagnostics Laboratory and an associate in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at Deborah Heart and Lung Center, Browns Mills, NJ. She has been an associate in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Deborah for four years, managing patients in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. As the new director of the Sleep Diagnostics Laboratory at Deborah, Dr. Supe plans to expand services to meet the complex needs of patients with sleep disorders. Dr. Supe, the latest pulmonologist to join the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, comes to Deborah from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick. NJ, where she completed a fellowship in Pulmonary/Critical Care/Sleep Medicine. She also served as a researcher in the Department of Surgery-Transplant Service at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. Her research interests include cardiorespiratory pathology and sleep, and cardiothoracic surgical critical care. Dr. Supe received a premedical certification from the Educational Center for Foreign Languages and Foreign Studies in Zagreb, Croatia, in 1981. She then continued at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine, in Croatia, where she earned a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1986. She completed a master’s program in Biomedicine at the School of Science, Math and Physics at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, in 1987. She completed an internship in Surgery at University Hospital KBC in Croatia, in1987; a residency in Internal Medicine at Univ. of North Carolina - New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Wilmington, NC, in 1996; and a Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine/Sleep at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ in 2000. “I am thrilled to be joining such a highly regarded pulmonary program at Deborah,” said Dr. Supe. “And I am especially eager to expand the Sleep Disorders program at the hospital and offer more treatment options to patients afflicted with sleeping conditions.” Board certified in Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine/Sleep, Dr. Supe is a member of the American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Dr. Supe has presented on traumatology in her homeland of Croatia and has been published in Transplantation. She has also authored a traumatology textbook on Compartment Syndrome for postgraduate training at the University of Zabgreb. |
FULLY ACCREDITED BY THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF SLEEP MEDICINE |
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| Sleep Disorders: What you don’t know actually can hurt you | ||||
| With the sounding of the morning alarm, the day begins. Dreams vanish, eyes open and the rising sun chases away the remnants of sleep. Still, for many, a feeling of exhaustion prevails. For millions of Americans, both young and old, this is life; their waking moments spent in a state of excessive sleepiness, their nights battling any number of the 84 classified sleep disorders “Many Americans who suffer from sleep disorders are not aware of the fact that they are plagued with a potentially life-threatening problem,” revealed Alan Backman, CRT, RPFT, RPSGT, Co-Director of Respiratory Care Services at Deborah. “Either because of busy schedules or lengthy ‘To-Do’ lists, they tend to dismiss the most obvious of warning signs.” The fault, however, is not their own. According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), more than 60 percent of Americans claim to have never been asked about the quality of their sleep by a physician, a figure that includes parents not being asked about their children’s sleep habits. This is an alarming statistic, especially with research showing that sleep disorders, if left untreated, can contribute to such ailments as high blood pressure, diabetes and even heart disease. “Contrary to what many may believe, sleep deprivation carries much weightier consequences than general fatigue and sleepiness: it can lead to potentially life-threatening illnesses,” explained Backman. “For this reason, it is important that people take the initiative in becoming advocates for their own health: raise concerns to your primary care physician about sleep patterns, inability to concentrate and excessive sleepiness, and get answers that extend beyond a prescription for a sleeping pill. Sleeping pills are meant to be used for the short-term, and should only be taken after visiting a credible sleep diagnostics laboratory.” Surprisingly, those answers could be as simple as creating a more adequate sleep environment. Studies suggest that the best sleep is had in a cool and dark room, on a bed that provides adequate support, and where distractions, such as the television and computer, are not present. In essence, the bedroom should be a place of relaxation and a haven away from daily life. If these practices are already in use, Backman recommends going into a dimly lit room, sitting in a chair and reading until feeling tired. |
There are, however, instances where even these methods come up short, where the problem extends beyond a poor sleeping environment and encroaches on a sleep disorder. In those instances, there exists a means of detection that men and women can employ on their own. According to Backman, one of the best evaluation tools for sleep deprivation and sleep disorders is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Broken down into eight easy-to-answer questions, the ESS is the easiest way to target patients who are most likely to suffer from a sleep disorder. Once that determination is made, the next step is getting them a proper diagnosis and treatment. These important steps can be handled by a quality sleep center, such as Deborah Heart and Lung Center’s Sleep Diagnostics Laboratory. Opened in 1986, Deborah’s Sleep Lab is a state-of-the-art, four-bedroom laboratory that operates five days a week. On staff are five full-time polysomnographers who are either certified or registered in respiratory therapy and who have been trained to the standards of the American Association of Sleep Medicine. This comprehensive training has equipped these professionals with the ability to accurately diagnose potential sleep disorders and tailor individualized treatment plans to correct them. In most cases, Deborah’s polysomnographers can correct a sleep disorder in as little as one or two nights. “While Deborah does have the capabilities of diagnosing all 84 classified sleep disorders, our staff of polysomnographers tends to focus on those most prevalent in society, such as sleep apnea syndrome, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, periodic leg movement during sleep and insomnia,” explained Hill. “This focus has enabled our laboratory to produce sleep study reports within 24 to 48 hours, allowing for faster diagnosis and treatment.”
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