Qatar Foundation entity dedicated to expanding pediatric-focused care.
The state-of-the-art six room sleep lab, one of the largest of its kind in Qatar, will address sleep issues in children and young people. It is equipped with the latest technologies including video and infrared monitoring to allow direct patient observation.
The Sleep Lab will accurately study cases of obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep related respiratory disorders caused by a variety of airway diseases and conditions including large tonsils or adenoids. In addition, the sleep lab will play a critical role in studying non-respiratory sleep disorders as a result of neurological issues like central apneas or due to behavioral abnormalities.
Prof. Ibrahim Janahi, Division Chief of Pulmonology, whose department currently manages the sleep lab said: “Children with sleep problems usually have underlying illnesses or conditions. Sometimes these issues can be behavioral based but many times, simple conditions like adenoids and large tonsils that might be overlooked, end up causing sleep issues in young children. We have assembled a strong team of sleep pulmonologists, physicians and technologists who will run the state-of-the-art sleep lab and address such sleep disorders. The lab works closely with departments such as pulmonology, ENT and neurology who refer patients for monitoring and observation.”
The lab will perform polysomnograms, known as sleep studies, to record the child’s sleeping patterns. This includes monitoring brain waves by placing sensors on the head (EEG) as well as the use of respiratory monitoring equipment, with all signals being examined by overnight technologists from a computer in a separate control room. Depending on the physician’s recommendation, the sleep study will be tailored to suit each child’s medical condition in line with international standards. The child’s movements are also recorded by video with infrared to ensure the safety of the child at all times.
Dr. Muna Maarafiya, Medical Director of the Sleep Lab at Sidra Medicine said: “The sleep labs have been designed to make the children as comfortable as possible, as if the children are going to sleep in their own beds at home. Our team works closely with child life professionals to provide child friendly and child focused care to help the children relax and go to sleep. We encourage parents to bring in their kid’s favorite night time story or toy. We expect the parents to be active participants during the child's stay in the lab and allow one of them to stay overnight. We even have female technicians monitoring the lab so that female patients and/or mothers accompanying the child can feel comfortable.”
All recordings and test results from the child’s sleep study are then analyzed by the technologist and interpreted by the Sleep Lab team. Results are then discussed with the parents along with a treatment plan during a follow up appointment.
Read the Arabic Press Release
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