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Dr. John Burk, Medical
Director, recognized the importance of sleep
medicine early in his pulmonology career. He
opened a sleep laboratory in 1982 and was joined
by sleep specialist Dr. Edgar Lucas as Director
of Sleep Consultants, Inc. in 1984. Dr. Lucas
came from a university-based sleep laboratory
and spent his entire career in sleep research
and clinical sleep medicine.
Dr. Don Watenpaugh
joined the group in 2004. He also entered
clinical sleep medicine from a research career.
Dr. Watenpaugh earned board certification and
took over as Director in 2005 when Dr. Lucas
retired.
Our
sleep medicine practice has been continuously
accredited since 1985. Others who are trained
in sleep medicine have joined us along the way.
We have consultants who work with us to cover
the full range of sleep disorders. Our six-bed
sleep laboratory
is at 909 8th Avenue, Fort Worth, and our
main office
is one block away at 1521 Cooper Street. We
collaborate on research projects with the
Biomedical Engineering program at UT Arlington,
the
Department of Integrative Physiology at the
University of North Texas Health Science Center,
and with pharmaceutical companies.
Sleep Consultants, Inc. is accredited by the
American
Academy of Sleep Medicine for the diagnosis
and treatment of sleep disorders. There are at
least 30 clinically distinct causes of excessive
sleepiness, 10 types of insomnia, and 20 other
types of sleep problems besides these! We
differ from most other sleep facilities in the
Metroplex by offering diagnosis and treatment of
all sleep problems (not just sleep apnea), a
full range of treatment options for sleep
disorders, and follow-up care for our patients.
Sleep apnea is by far the most common sleep
problem we encounter. Sleep apnea is associated
with loud snoring and repeated choking episodes
that disrupt sleep, reduce blood oxygen levels,
and cause a wide variety of other health
problems. Insomnia, the inability to initiate
or maintain sleep, is also common, and is
usually caused by other factors which we
identify. We then seek to treat the cause of
the insomnia, because this is usually much more
effective than treating insomnia as a symptom.
Other disorders that interfere with sleep
include restless legs syndrome, periodic limb
movement disorder, circadian rhythm problems (as
from shift work), narcolepsy, and various
parasomnias. Many medicines given to treat
other medical problems interfere with sleep, but
doctors prescribing these medications don’t
always know about sleep side effects. We see
patients age 6 and older, and we are currently
helping Cook Children’s Medical Center operate
their new sleep laboratory for younger
patients.
The
first step towards help with a sleep problem is
referral to
Dr. John Burk by a primary care physician or
other medical professional. The patient then
fills out a comprehensive
questionnaire, and one of our staff members
reviews the responses with the patient during an
in-office evaluation of the sleep complaint(s).
After this evaluation and a brief physical
examination, a laboratory sleep study is usually
scheduled to document and quantify any sleep
problems. You will have an appointment to
review the findings with a sleep specialist and
to discuss treatment recommendations. CPAP
(Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) provides
the most reliable and effective known treatment
for sleep apnea. Air pressure holds the airway
open during sleep so it can’t collapse: snoring
and choking stop. We also house a dental clinic
to offer treatment of sleep apnea with
custom-fitted oral appliances. Medications
and/or lifestyle changes treat many other sleep
problems. Follow-up appointments are usually
necessary to establish and maintain successful
treatment of sleep disorders. Our goal is to
resolve the patient’s sleep or waking complaint
by making the appropriate diagnosis, and then
treating the problem until the patient is
satisfied.
Most
sleep complaints are:
This website contains
additional information about sleep disorders and treatment
options, general recommendations for how to improve sleep
quality, and links to other sleep-related sites. |
