Pediatric sleep disorders can affect a child’s physical, social and academic performance.
Accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Augusta University’s Pediatrics Sleep Center is one of the few in the Southeast
that treats both adults and children from newborns through adolescents.
Pediatric sleep disorders can affect a child’s physical, social and academic performance.
Accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Augusta University’s Pediatrics Sleep Center is one of the few in the Southeast
that treats both adults and children from newborns through adolescents.
Our Approach
Not all sleep centers staff Registered Polysomnographic Technologists, and that can
make a big difference in the quality of your sleep study.
The physicians at Augusta University Sleep Center are supported by the area’s largest team of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists
(RPSGT) in the Augusta, Georgia, area. These skilled medical professionals have met
rigorous requirements and passed extensive examinations by the Board of Registered
Polysomnographic Technologists. They have the skills and experience needed to perform
sleep studies that ensure more accurate readings and better outcomes. A board certified
sleep medicine physician will then interpret the studies, make a diagnosis and develop
a plan of care.
We offer multidisciplinary sleep medicine care by a team of physicians with a breadth
and depth of expertise unmatched in the area. In addition to three board certified
sleep specialists, the team includes:
- Adult and pediatric pulmonologists
- Adult and pediatric neurologists
- Adult and pediatric otolaryngologists (ENT specialists)
- Dentists who are members of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
- Psychologists
- Other specialists
With comprehensive pediatric clinical expertise—and the experience in taking care
of generations of children—our team provides expert care based on your individual
child’s growth patterns and specific level of development. At Children’s Hospital
of Georgia, we understand that your child’s health affects the entire family. We also
know that life doesn't slow down when illness occurs. Our team provides a full support
staff that helps your whole family through short term or longer term health issues.
We have a team of Child Life Specialists that help young patients cope during a hospital
or clinic visit, focusing on extra support for coping and normal childhood activities
while receiving medical care.
Why Choose Us
Academic Advantage
While CHOG provides care for every single clinical pediatric specialty, our team also
has access to all of the resources of our full academic medical center at Augusta
University. We practice a multi-disciplinary team approach across all areas of clinical
care with a robust research and clinical trials program to continue to develop advanced
and more effective treatments and cures. With such comprehensive care, we are able
to take care of any routine childhood issue, but also the very complex or rare pediatric
conditions. When you choose CHOG for your child’s care, an entire team of experts
are focused on the health and well-being of your child for optimum growth and development.
Conditions We Treat
- Sleep apnea
- Insomnia
- Parasomnias (sleepwalking, sleep talking, night terrors, teeth grinding, etc.)
- Narcolepsy
- Periodic limb movement
- Restless legs syndrome
- Nocturnal seizures
- Other sleep disorders with therapies ranging from behavioral changes to medications
to breathing devices to surgery to remove adenoids, tonsils and excess throat tissue
Diagnostic Tests and Procedures
Our sleep studies are performed by registered polysomnographic technologists and interpreted
by board certified sleep medicine physicians. Augusta University Sleep Center performs
and interprets:
- Polysomnographic studies
These tests are used to diagnose sleep apnea, narcolepsy and other conditions. Patients
spend a full night at the center. While they sleep, painless electrodes attached to
their bodies monitor:
- brain activity
- eye movement
- oxygen and carbon dioxide blood levels
- heart rate and rhythm
- breathing rate and rhythm
- the flow of air through the mouth and nose
- body muscle movements
- chest and abdomen respiratory movements
Registered sleep technologists monitor each patient during the tests, and an intercom
system allows for easy communication between patients and caregivers. Patients are
also videotaped with infrared cameras, while microphones monitor their snoring. A
board certified sleep medicine physician reviews the data collected during the tests
to diagnose any disorder and its severity and prescribe treatments, if needed.
- Multiple Sleep Latency Tests
These tests measure how long it takes you to fall asleep. You will need to stay at
the sleep lab overnight for polysomnographic studies and the next day for this test.
During this test, you’ll take 15-minute naps every two hours, beginning the morning
after your nighttime sleep test. Between naps you must try to stay awake. A sleep
technologist will note the amount of time it takes for you to fall asleep and your
sleep patterns during the naps. A board certified sleep medicine physician will use
the results to rule out or make a diagnosis of narcolepsy.
- Multiple Wake Tests
These tests measure your ability to stay awake during a time when you normally would
not sleep. You will need to stay at the sleep center overnight and the next day. You
will try to stay awake without napping during the day. A board certified sleep medicine
physician will use the results to rule out or make a diagnosis narcolepsy.
- C-PAP Titration Tests
If you suffer from sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing is briefly and repeatedly
interrupted during sleep; your treatment may include a medical device known as a continuous
positive airway pressure machine, or C-PAP. The machine holds the air passages in
the nose and throat open during sleep, eliminating snoring and pauses in breathing.
The C-PAP Titration test is an overnight test that helps us find the most effective
setting for your machine, make sure you have the right mask and customize other parameters
so you can experience the best possible results.
