In a major capital upgrade, Deborah Heart and Lung Center has officially opened its brand-new, state-of-the-art Institute for Sleep Medicine. Here in a spacious, hotel-like setting, with private baths, TVs, luxurious queen-sized beds, and plush sleeper-recliners, patients can get comfortable, and, with minimal intrusion from electronic wiring, receive a full sleep study, recorded with discreet tilt and zoom cameras and analyzed by the latest computer technology. One night’s study can then pinpoint which of the more than 80 sleep disorders is keeping the patient from getting a good night’s sleep.

Conditions such as sleep apnea, insomnia, and narcolepsy are just a few of the many problems Deborah’s sleep experts are trained to identify. And, horrible snoring is usually just a warning sign of a more serious condition. If the study shows a problem, then the staff at Deborah’s Institute for Sleep Medicine can provide the needed treatment.

For almost 20 years, Deborah has conducted sleep studies, making it one of the oldest and most continuously-run programs in the state.

The new Sleep Lab continues that tradition of excellence, and greatly expands Deborah’s research capabilities, as well as adding more beds that are comfortably situated outside of the main hospital in a quieter setting.

Dr. Dana Supe, Deborah’s Director of the Institute for Sleep Medicine, points to many benefits the new Sleep Lab brings to the Institute’s comprehensive program. “We have a multidisciplinary approach to sleep disorders that includes collaboration with nutritionists; ear, nose and throat specialists, with on-site surgery available if needed; pulmonologists; psychiatrists; and even bariatric surgeons on-call if needed,”

In addition, since Deborah is a specialty heart, lung, and vascular center, the Institute has a closely established collaboration with the hospital’s Cardiology Department, offering collaborative care when a sleep disorder is related to a heart condition. Dr. Supe, who is one of few doctors in Burlington County certified by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, acknowledges other attributes of the new Sleep Lab. “We now have the best of both worlds. We have an external setting off the hospital floors, which is more conducive for patients sleeping, but since the sleep lab is on the hospital campus, we are ideally suited to deal with any emergencies that could arise.”

Dr. Supe is joined by a fully-certified staff of qualified technicians who bring a vast amount of experience to the program, including the Institute’s two Co-Technical Directors, John Hill and Alan Backman.

Backman, who has 30 years of clinical experience studying sleep disorders, added, “Many Americans who suffer from sleep disorders are not aware of the fact that they are plagued with a potentially life-threatening problem. A properly conducted sleep study can diagnose these sleep problems and then analysis can tailor an individualized treatment plan to correct these problems.”