MetroWest Medical Center is expanding a sleep testing laboratory amid what it says are experts’ warnings of increased sleep issues during the coronavirus pandemic.
MetroWest is expanding the lab at its Leonard Morse Hospital campus in Natick with new sleep testing technology from Franklin-based Itamar Medical, in addition to existing home sleep services. The new technology can also allow more patients to have their sleep studied in the comfort of their own home. The technology allows sleep physicians and cardiologists to better identify, evaluate, and treat sleep disorders found inherent in a significant population of atrial fibrillation and heart failure patients, the hospital said.
MetroWest, which is proposing changing Leonard Morse Hospital from an acute-care hospital into a specialized behavioral healthcare campus, will offer at-home sleep study equipment for participants at a curbside pick-up and drop-off location.
A study published by the National Institutes of Health last July found nearly 30% of respondents to have more difficulty falling asleep during the pandemic.
