Dozens of NJ Transit engineers diagnosed with sleep apnea

[D.H.]

This stat mean that approx 12% of New Jersey Transit engineers have Sleep Apnea. This is probably typical of the overall population. This is really a public safety emergency (and 12% is also a public health emergency). Note that the opioid epidemic is considered an emergency, and it affects nowhere near 12% of population.


Link ===> http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/201 ... apnea.html

[Bertha deBlues]

This stat mean that approx 12% of New Jersey Transit engineers have Sleep Apnea. This is probably typical of the overall population. This is really a public safety emergency (and 12% is also a public health emergency). Note that the opioid epidemic is considered an emergency, and it affects nowhere near 12% of population.


Link ===> http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/201 ... apnea.html

I'm glad they're doing something about it, and hope that the engineers will receive treatment and be allowed to go back to work as long as they're compliant.

[Goofproof]

Sorry, I will not turn off my AD Block, I'm sure what the site writes isn't something I can live without reading. The real issue is why not fix the problem by installing Dead Man's Controls to fix the problem. It's not rocket science. Jim

Probably would cost less than the article did, no ad's needed!

D.H. could have copy and pasted it directly off the bottom of his trash can, then we could have read it.

Doesn't the press have to follow H.I.P.A.A. Rules.

[donmeek]

This stat mean that approx 12% of New Jersey Transit engineers have Sleep Apnea. This is probably typical of the overall population. This is really a public safety emergency (and 12% is also a public health emergency). Note that the opioid epidemic is considered an emergency, and it affects nowhere near 12% of population.


Link ===> http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/201 ... apnea.html

Actually that statistic means that approximately 12% of New Jersey Transit engineers had undiagnosed sleep apnea - any engineers previously diagnosed (and undergoing treatment) for sleep apnea would not be included in that percentage...

[amenite]

This stat mean that approx 12% of New Jersey Transit engineers have Sleep Apnea. This is probably typical of the overall population. This is really a public safety emergency (and 12% is also a public health emergency). Note that the opioid epidemic is considered an emergency, and it affects nowhere near 12% of population.


Link ===> http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/201 ... apnea.html

Actually that statistic means that approximately 12% of New Jersey Transit engineers had undiagnosed sleep apnea - any engineers previously diagnosed (and undergoing treatment) for sleep apnea would not be included in that percentage...

======

or could it mean that 12% have it but most have been treated already
so this is not a real emergency at all

Sorry but you're wrong on this point as the agency was not testing until *AFTER* the train wreck. "44 were found to have sleep apnea and remained sidelined until they met treatment requirements..." means that they were not being treated.

[Gryphon]

My suspicions are that Sleep Apnea and related sleep issues "are" an epidemic. Just not one we're working as hard as we should be to fix. The chronic problems and damage that can be caused by years or even decades of untreated sleep apnea may be costing the health care system way more then better treatment of the cause or contributer to those problems.

[amenite]

==========
did they test everybody

how many had apnea

how many were already being treated

So you're being contrarian here for the sake of being contrarian? There are 370 engineers. They tested all of them. It's been on-going for some time now.

[Arlene1963]

What interests me is what type of screening was done to determine which engineers were sent for a sleep study?

According to the article there was a screening process done on 373 engineers, of which 57 were selected to be sent for sleep studies. Of these, 44 were identified as having OSA. That's quite a high incidence of OSA in those who actually had a sleep study. 77% in fact.

I hope the screening didn't only focus on selecting "obese middle aged men with large necks who report daytime sleepiness and have a history of snoring". Yes these folks almost certainly have OSA, but what about the rest?

Hopefully screening involved a comprehensive review of medical records looking for those who have nocturia, metabolic syndrome, resistant hypertension, Afib. diabetes/prediabetes, anxiety/depression and other co-morbidities strongly associated with OSA. Unfortunately I can't find any info re this in the article.

Also, I would suspect that the incidence would be quite a bit higher than 12% if every one of those 373 engineers had actually undergone a full sleep study.

[Goofproof]

It's amazing nobody but me here is concerned about the basic problem of running these speeding multi ton bullets, having no dead man switch system that would stop the train if the operator was OUT TO LUNCH or DEAD.

Does everyone work for the Government! Jim