CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital Opens State-of-the-Art Sleep Center

Families in South Orange County now have access to a state-of-the-art Sleep Center for children who need overnight monitoring to diagnose problems related to sleep.

The new three-room unit at CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital offers private, comfortable accommodations and the latest technology for routine polysomnograms (sleep studies). CHOC already performs more than 750 sleep studies a year at its three-bed Sleep Disorder Center in Orange.

A sleep study is used to diagnose sleep disorders such as apnea and narcolepsy, as well as sleep problems that may be caused by other health conditions, including enlarged tonsils, obesity, muscular dystrophy and Down syndrome. Most sleep studies are prescribed by a child’s pediatrician or referring physician and are done on an outpatient basis.

Each Sleep Center room includes custom light control, a flat-screen TV, a fold-out bed for mom or dad, and unique artwork that showcases Southern California beaches to promote a soothing, calm environment. Families are encouraged to bring familiar toys, books and blankets to help a child feel at home.

The Sleep Center is equipped with live video monitoring and electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (EKG), electrooculogram (EOG), electromyogram (EMG), thermistor, pulse oximeter and piezo crystal monitoring systems, allowing technologists to track every child’s breath, brainwave and movement during sleep. Patients are hooked up to the equipment with small, painless electrode stickers and a lightweight belt around the chest. A child’s dedicated technologist is always in the next room to monitor the data through the night, and they are available to provide assistance to families when needed.

In addition to registered sleep technologists, CHOC’s multidisciplinary sleep team includes a board-certified pediatric neurologist fellowship trained in sleep medicine, board-certified pediatric pulmonologists and psychologists. Depending on the results of a study sleep, a child will have a follow-up appointment with his or her doctor, or be referred to a CHOC specialist.

Click here to learn more about the sleep conditions that affect children.