Infant and Children Apnea Monitor Program
Sleep disorders occur in more than two million children. Sleep Apnea has also been linked to many other problems in children such as SIDS, ADD, ADHA, Autism and Obesity.

Is your child experiencing any of the following symptoms?

• Snoring with pauses
• Labored breathing while sleeping
• Gasping or choking
• Disrupted sleep
• Unusual sleeping positions

We help infants and children that are:

• Birth to one year of age
• Inpatient in NICU or Pediatrics Unit
• If child isn’t an inpatient, we may admit to Pediatrics and order a Sleep Study 

Does your child have a history of any of the following?

• Apnea (no breathing)
• Bradycardia-decreased heart rate
• Desaturation-decreased oxygen in the blood
• Dusky-infant turns bluish in color, due to decreased oxygen
• ALTE-Apparent Life Threatening Event

Pneumocardiogram Study - (4-5 Channel Study or Sleep Study)

• 12-hour study that monitors heart rate, respiration and oxygen saturation (also available to monitor esophageal ph to evaluate for reflux)
• Study will be scored and interpreted by staff and Dr. Niazi
• A recommendation will be made to the ordering physician regarding the need for a cardiorespiratory memory monitor at child’s home  

Parent and Family Education
Our goal is to educate parents/caregivers until they have confidence in their ability to take care of the infant on an extensive home cardio-respiratory monitor. Training and infant CPR is provided to parents and any caregivers for the child. 

Follow-up
Families going home with a monitor will receive daily follow-up phone calls during the first week at home. Weekly calls will be made to determine if there are questions, concerns or supply needs.

Staff is available 24/7 for any needs or questions. Referring/primary care physicians will receive periodic updates.

Information Download
Home monitor information is downloaded every four – six weeks. Information is evaluated for the number and severity of events and a decision is made about the continued need for the monitor.  

Repeat Car Seat Testing Program
It is recommended that any infant who is discharged home in a Car Bed, for medical reasons, should have a repeat Car Seat Test. This testing should be completed prior to switching the infant to an Infant Car Seat. We perform a 90-minute Angle Tolerance Test in the Infant Apnea Center to help determine if the infant can tolerate Car Seat positioning.  

Our Staff:

• Akhtar Niazi MD, FAAP - Medical Director
• Lyn Makovicka RNC - Apnea Monitor
• Ladonna Tool RNC - Supplemental Staff and NICU Nurse
• Amy Hansen RN - Supplemental Staff and NICU Nurse
• Donna DiPaolo LRCP - Durable Medical Equipment Program Coordinator
Program Coordinator and NICU Nurse

Our staff is available 24/7 for any needs or questions. We also have flexible office hours to accommodate the needs of the families we serve. 

For additional questions, please call 402-219-7190.