Philips to set up sleep labs in leading Indian hospitals and clinics

30 new sleep labs will be set up at leading hospitals and clinics across

Sleeps labs to diagnose sleep disorders will be set up alongside major healthcare institutions across India by the Indian arm of world’s leading electronics technology major Philips.

Philips Electronics India Limited (PEIL) is planning to provide technology support to set up 130 sleep clinics thoughout India by the end of 2010.

As the first step, 30 new sleep labs will be set up at leading hospitals and clinics across Mumbai and Delhi by the end of 2009, reports said.

Philips India will provide technology, facilities and training for the sleep labs.

Philips will assist the hospitals and clinics in setting up the sleep labs by providing sleep lab equipment such as the ALICE 5 and ALICE PDX for clinical training to physicians and specialists.

The equipment will also be used for training on software diagnosis and reporting to general practitioners and technicians.

Sleep labs, which is a relatively new concept in India, will help physicians accurately diagnose sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) evaluating sleeping patterns.

Sleep labs will be complete with all neccessary equipment like polysomnogram or PSG.

Polysomnogram is a painless method of diagnosing sleep disorders. The patient is monitored with various sensors attached to the patient’s head, chest and legs. These sensors collect data which are then used to determine the type and severity of the sleep disorder.

In patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, then the AHI (apnea hypopnea) index is generated which quantifies sleep apnea severity. The AHI index guides the physician regarding whether the problem is mild, moderate or severe so a treatment decision can be made.

The patient will be put on a Philips Respironics CPAP with technologies such as (C-flex, Bi-Flex and A-Flex) which ensures that the upper airway stays open continual airflow throughout the night thereby yielding a healthier sleep.

Currently, 93 per cent of Indians are sleep deprived; getting less than the eight hours of sleep they need per day, according to a survey commissioned by Philips India which was undertaken by ihe Nielsen Company.

Around 11 per cent of Indians took leave from work because of their lack of sleep, revealed the survey conducted in approximately 5600 respondents from urban towns with population 5 lakh and above in the 35 to 65 years age group and in a non-clinical environment.

The Philips Sleep Survey also revealed that 58 per cent of Indians felt their work suffered from lack of adequate sleep with 11 per cent actually falling asleep at work.