Medical technology company Itamar Medical Ltd. and healthcare products and services provider Henry Schein, Inc. inked a collaboration deal, which will benefit millions across the nation who suffer from serious sleeping disorders and are therefore vulnerable to serious medical conditions such as high blood pressure and stroke.

Henry Schein recently introduced a uniquely crafted program that provides all of the information and products necessary for the successful implementation of dental sleep medicine into the dental practice. Called Sleep Complete, the program incorporates Itamar-Medical‘s WatchPAT home test device as one of its key components. The device will help the dentists in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.

Modern Dental Labs (makers of The Moses oral appliance) and Nierman Practice Management (providers of a simplified billing and reimbursement software program) are two other partners of Henry Schein in its Sleep Complete program.

Itamar-Medical claimed to have pioneered the concept of portable sleep diagnostic testing in the area of dental sleep medicine. With the collaboration with Henry Schein, the company has taken its efforts to the next level.

Itamar-Medical’s WatchPAT is based on PAT (Peripheral Arterial Tone) signal technology and applications. The PAT signal is a non-invasive “window” to both the cardiovascular and autonomic nervous systems.

According to the industry experts, Itamar-Medical’s WatchPAT is one of the most convenient portable sleep testing device available in the market. The device is claimed to have completed 350,000 tests worldwide. The device can be easily installed by the patient in the comfort of their own home.

In the press release, Itamar-Medical claimed that WatchPAT is the only portable device providing Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI), and Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) based on actual sleep time and sleep states (REM/Wake/Deep/Light) without a cumbersome nasal cannula or belt around the chest. This gives the patient greater comfort and more natural sleep. The device has reported an amazingly low failure rate, according to its maker.

WatchPAT’s newest features include multi-night testing, tamper-proof occupational testing, and seamless web-based study-upload to Electronic Medical Records.

WatchPAT was launched by Itamar a year ago. The device complies with the new guidelines issued by the American Society of Anesthesiologists to improve the perioperative care and pre-operative sleep testing.

“This collaboration will help us benefit from Henry Schein’s expert dental sales team across America. There is tremendous opportunity to build on our success and commitment to the dental market through this unique offering,” Marvin Slosman, president of Itamar-Medical Inc. (US) noted in a statement.