A complete bibliography can be found by clicking HERE

Letter dated May 8, 2004, William C. Dement, Director, Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Center of Stanford University to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

September 2006, Volume 135, No.3, Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery

Acoustical Analysis of Snoring: Can the Probability of Success be Predicted?, Scott E. Brietzke, MD, MAJ, MC, USA and Eric A. Mair, MD, COL, MC, USAF, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC

January 2004, Volume 130, No.1, Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery

Injection Snoreplasty: Investigation of Alternative Sclerotherapy Agents, Scott E. Brietzke, MD, Eric A. Mair, MD, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, DC.

May 2003, Vol. 128, No. 5, Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery

Injection Snoreplasty: Extended follow-up and new objective data, Scott E. Brietzke, MD, Eric C. Mair, MD, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, DC.

May 2001, Volume 124, No. 5, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Injection Snoreplasty: How to treat snoring without all the pain and expense, Scott E. Brietzke, MD, Eric C. Mair, MD, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, DC.

GLENVIEW, IL (February 1, 2001) -- Innovative technology now makes it possible for doctors to give patients a home sleep test that analyzes snoring patterns and determines if they are suffering from sleep apnea. The SNAP Test uses a proprietary digital recorder and a patented sound analysis to collect snoring sound vibration patterns and to assess the severity of the snoring as well as the absence and presence of sleep apnea. Snoring results from vibration of tissue in the throat and is considered the first indicator of sleep apnea. It has been shown that different sources of snoring produce different vibration sound patterns.

"All snores are not alike and the SNAP Test is the only test capable of analyzing the vibration sound patterns of a patient's snoring including their magnitude as well as the frequency and duration of sleep apnea," said Dr. Thomas Kehoe, pulmonologist, director of intensive care, Evanston Northwestern Health Care, Chicago, Illinois. "The test's ability to analyze these patterns helps physicians select the best course of treatment for patients."

The SNAP Test analyzes the patient's typical snoring and breathing patterns while sleeping in his or her own bed. Patients receive the test recorder, which is smaller than a laptop computer from a physician. After a demonstration in the physician's office, patients perform the test at home.

The test set up takes less than one minute and requires the patient to wear only two sensors compared to as many as 20 used in tests conducted at sleep labs. One sensor is simply placed on the upper lip; the other is a finger probe to monitor blood oxygen levels and pulse rate. Breathing and snoring patterns are digitally recorded on a computer disk which is sent to SNAP Laboratories for analysis. Only one night of data is required. Physicians receive a complete report via fax within a few days. Hospital-based tests typically cost between $1,500 and $3,000. The SNAP Test costs about 1/3 of this and is reimbursed by many HMOs, PPOs and private insurance providers.

"Since patients are able to complete the test at home, the SNAP Test provides a more accurate analysis of typical breathing patterns, is more comfortable and convenient and costs less than the standard method of diagnosis which until now has required an overnight stay in a hospital," added Dr. Kehoe.

Medical experts estimate that more than 50 million Americans snore and as many as 10 million may have sleep apnea, yet only about five percent of people have been diagnosed. When loud snoring is interrupted by frequent episodes of totally blocked breathing, this is known as obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep apnea. Episodes can last more than ten seconds each and occur anywhere from seven times to as many as 30-120 times per hour. Sleep apnea is a major medical problem and has been linked to hypertension, depression, stroke and daytime fatigue. In fact, 50% of sleep apnea patients also suffer from hypertension. It has been associated with over 38,000 cardiovascular deaths each year. A variety of non-surgical and surgical treatments options are available to habitual snorers and sleep apnea sufferers with success rates ranging from 50 to 90 percent.

"The SNAP Test helps the physician more accurately determine the site of an obstruction which helps us improve the outcome of treatment," added Dr. Kehoe.

SNAP Laboratories, L.L.C. develops, manufactures and markets products to aid in the diagnosis, analysis and management of respiratory disorders outside the traditional hospital setting with a primary focus on sleep apnea and snoring. SNAP is probably the largest sleep center in the world performing more diagnostic tests monthly than the average sleep lab performs in a year. Over 10,000 physicians have used the SNAP Test to analyze snoring and diagnose sleep apnea, testimony to its accuracy and value to the medical community. The SNAP Test is also being used in numerous sleep studies throughout the United States to validate and measure various therapies for snoring and sleep apnea.