The Record Special Sections Health Quarterly 07-28-2019 | Page 5

NORTHJERSEY.COM ❚ SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2019 ❚ 5
HEALTH QUARTERLY / ADVERTISING SECTION
Valley Hospital Introduces Sleep Apnea Advance
Among the First in New York Metro Region to Offer a Breakthrough Treatment
T
he Valley Hospital is one of only two
sites in New Jersey and the tri-state
area currently using a new implant-
able device to treat adult patients
with central sleep apnea.
Central sleep apnea is a serious condi-
tion in which a person’s sleep is interrupted
because the brain does not send proper
signals to the diaphragm during sleep,
causing lapses in breathing.
The remed e ® System, approved by the
FDA in 2017, is a pacemaker-like device that
is placed under the skin in the upper chest
area during a minimally invasive outpatient
procedure.
It treats central sleep apnea by acti-
vating a nerve located in the chest that
stimulates breathing. The system monitors
the patient’s breathing during sleep and
if irregular breathing is detected, it stimu-
lates the nerve to move the diaphragm and
restore normal breathing.
RENDERING COURTESY OF VALLEY HOSPITAL
The remed e ® System treats central sleep
apnea by stimulating breathing.
“The new remed e ® System provides
physicians with an innovative therapy for
patients with moderate to severe central
sleep apnea,” said Dr. Suneet Mittal,
director of Electrophysiology at Valley and
medical director of Valley’s Snyder Center
for Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation. “This
therapy has been proven to reduce the
number of sleep apnea events, which will
improve patients’ quality of life and overall
cardiovascular health.”
Dr. Mittal and cardiac electrophysi-
ologist Dr. Dan Musat performed the first
remed e ® procedures at Valley, in consul-
tation with a multidisciplinary team that
included heart failure specialist Dr. Kariann
Abbate, and Dr. Jeffrey Barasch, medical
director of The Valley Hospital Center for
Sleep Medicine.
Central sleep apnea causes significant
drops in night-time blood oxygen levels
and disrupted sleep, with significant impair-
ment in cardiac function and daytime per-
formance.
The condition is different from the more
well-known obstructive sleep apnea, in
which breathing disruptions occur when
the throat muscles intermittently relax
and block the airway during sleep.
Until this new development, central
sleep apnea has been difficult to treat, fre-
quently resistant to medical therapy and
unresponsive to CPAP, the usual therapy
for obstructive sleep apnea.
“Treatment for this particular type
of sleep apnea has been a significant chal-
lenge over the years,” said Dr. Barasch.
“We believe that his new technology is
a major step forward that will enable us
to treat these patients much more effec-
tively.”
The remed e ® System is produced
by Respicardia Inc., based in Minneapolis,
Minn.
To make an appointment for a con-
sultation to see if you are a candidate for
the remed e ® System, call 201-447-8392.
Valley Health System
And DispatchHealth Are
Bringing Back House Call
V
alley Health
System and
DispatchHealth,
a nationwide
on-demand healthcare
company, have part-
nered to deliver high-
quality urgent care to northern New
Jersey residents of all ages, in the comfort
of their homes.
Consumers can go to the DispatchHealth
website, access the free mobile app, or call
to request care. The medical team typically
arrives at the patient’s home (or place of
need) within a few hours. Each medical team
consists of either a physician assistant or
nurse practitioner, along with a medical
technician. The medical kits brought onsite
contain roughly 70 percent of the tools and
technologies found in an emergency room
(ER), allowing the medical team to perform
a variety of advanced tests and treatments,
ranging from blood tests to a 12-lead EKG,
to IV fluids and more.
“DispatchHealth offers our community
the convenience of an urgent care visit in
the comfort of their homes,” said Dr. John
J. McGreal, ER physician and co-medical
director of the DispatchHealth service
at Valley Health System.
DispatchHealth can treat a wide range of
common to complex illnesses and injuries,
such as urinary tract infections, respiratory
infections, fall injuries, the flu, sutures and
more, all within a patient’s home. In turn,
this helps reduce unnecessary ER visits and
hospitalizations, improve clinical outcomes
and decrease burdensome costs for the
overall health care system.
“Because DispatchHealth treats patients
of all ages, seniors can conveniently
receive treatment at home or their senior
living facility, including the administration
of intravenous fluids and lab tests,” said Dr.
Mark F. Vogel, ER physician and co-medical
director of the DispatchHealth service at
Valley Health System. “This allows for a
comfortable, convenient experience, while
also encouraging aging in place.”
“We remain committed to excellence in
clinical care, service delivery and meeting
the needs of those in our community,” said
Robert Brenner, M.D., president of clinical
integration and physician enterprise, Valley
PHOTO COURTESY OF VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEM
Ravi Dhajima, DispatchHealth medical technician, and Nurse Practitioner Erin Leonard,
DNP, are two members of Valley’s DispatchHealth care team.
Health System. “Our partnership with
DispatchHealth is one of many initiatives
underway at Valley to ensure multiple con-
venient ways are offered to our patients
to access care from our organization. Our
goal is to provide the right care at the
appropriate place, at an appropriate cost
and at the right time.”
To ensure continuity of care,
DispatchHealth provides a detailed report
to each primary care physician, living com-
munity, or home health agency, in addition
to electronically sending prescriptions to a
patient’s pharmacy if needed.
“A convenient option to cost-efficient,
high-acuity medical care isn’t always easy to
come by,” said Daniel Medina, Ridgewood
market director, DispatchHealth. “This
collaboration will help increase access to
affordable care for northern New Jersey
seniors or busy working parents, both of
whom can benefit from staying home for
treatment.”
DispatchHealth is available in the north-
ern New Jersey area from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
local time, seven days a week, 365 days
a year, including holidays. Patients can
request care by calling 201-882-7526,
using the free DispatchHealth mobile app,
or at DispatchHealth.com.