Davie County Hospitals opens lab to study sleep disorders

Wednesday, July 08, 2009 3:06 AM  |  Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend |

MOCKSVILLE — Davie County Hospital has added an on-site sleep lab to its facilities, which gives the hospital the ability to evaluate and treat patients for a variety of sleep disorders.

The new sleep lab is staffed by technicians contracted from the Sleep Disorders Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, which is nationally accredited by the American Sleep Disorder Association. The results of any tests run at the Davie County Hospital sleep lab are interpreted by the physicians at the Sleep Disorders Center at Baptist Medical Center.

"The addition of our new sleep lab means that citizens of Davie County are now able to receive the same high-quality service right here in Davie County that they would receive if they traveled to the Sleep Disorders Center in Winston-Salem," said Lynn Doss, administrator of Davie County Hospital. "We see this addition as another important step in our effort to provide high-quality medical care in Mocksville to our rapidly growing community."

The Davie County Hospital Sleep Lab can evaluate a variety of conditions including insomnia, narcolepsy, seasonal affective disorder, and common parasomnias such as sleepwalking, nightmares, restless leg syndrome, nocturnal seizures, sleep apnea and other disorders.

"Davie County is a perfect location for this additional Sleep Lab," said Dr. Vaughn McCall, professor and chairman of psychiatry and medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Baptist Medical Center. "With the incidence of sleep apnea disorders on the rise, and as a region with a high growth rate, it makes sense to locate in Mocksville."

The sleep lab at Davie County Hospital works in conjunction with the patient's primary physician and runs diagnostic tests including nocturnal polysomnographic studies and nap studies or multiple sleep latency tests.

Nocturnal polysomnographic studies are performed from 9 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However, studies can be run on additional days if needed. Davie County Hospital plans to increase the number of days the sleep lab is open as demand warrants.

To schedule a sleep study or for more information, call 336-716-5288.