Sleep Disorders and Respiratory Failure

The St Vincent’s Hospital Sleep Disorders and Respiratory Failure service is an important part of the Heart and Lung Department providing care for those who suffer from sleeping problems and respiratory failure.

We assess and treat the following sleep disorders:

  • Obstructive sleep apnoea
  • Insomnia
  • Narcolepsy
  • Sleepwalking
  • Restless legs
  • Periodic limb movement
  • REM behaviour disorder

Our Respiratory Failure Unit consists of a ward based non-invasive ventilation service that treats acutely ill patients with respiratory failure. We also provide home ventilation for those who require assistance for ongoing chronic respiratory failure.

Our team commonly treats and looks after the following Respiratory Failure Disorders:

  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) 
  • Obesity related respiratory failure
  • Neurological causes such as muscle weakness, motor neuron disease.

The Sleep Disorders Service provides a comprehensive inpatient and outpatient diagnostic and treatment service for patients withsleep disorders including: snoring, obstructive sleep apnoea, central sleep apnoea, nocturnal hypoventilation, hypercapnic respiratory failure, periodic limb movement disorders, narcolepsy, parasomnias, insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness.

Diagnostic Sleep Studies

An inpatient or outpatient portable diagnostic sleep study (overnight polysomnography) may be requested by a Sleep Specialist to document the existence of and quantify the severity of a range of sleep disorders. St Vincent’s Hospital has a 2-bed in-patient Sleep Unit performing close to 400 sleep studies per year. The Sleep Unit also offers daytime sleep tests for patients with a history suggestive of narcolepsy and/or idiopathic hypersomnolence:  Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) and Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT).

Treatment Sleep Studies

The Sleep Unit also provides comprehensive overnight treatment sleep studies (eg. CPAP or bilevel positive pressure titration studies) for patients diagnosed with sleep breathing disorders (e.g. obstructive sleep apnoea and nocturnal hypoventilation).

Referral to the Sleep Disorders Service

All patients being referred to the Sleep Disorders Service require a GP/Specialist referral addressed to one of the Clinic's Sleep Physicians:

  • A/Prof Benjamin Kwan (Director)
  • Dr Benjamin Nguyen (Staff Specialist)

Appointments / New Referral Enquiries

For new referral enquiries or to book an appointment for an initial consultation with one of our Specialists either:

1) Contact the Heart Lung Clinic, Level 4, St Vincent's Hospital - P (02) 8382 3150, or alternatively
2) Send your GP referral (including your contact details) to the Heart Lung Clinic - 

    Email:  SVHS.heartlungclinic@svha.org.au 
    Fax:     (02) 8382 3898

Consultation appointments at the Sleep Clinic are bulk-billed with a Medicare Australia compliant referral (no out-of-pocket cost).
Please bring your Medicare card and any concession cards to your appointment.

Overnight Sleep Investigations

Following your initial consultation with one of our Sleep Specialists, they may send a request to the Sleep Lab to organise an overnight sleep study.  On receipt of this request the Sleep Lab will contact you to arrange a booking.

Sleep Lab, Level 10-SOUTH, St Vincent's Hospital

P (02) 8382 3593
E SVHS.sleepunit@svha.org.au 

Helpful links

Australasian Sleep Association

Australasian Sleep Technologists Association

Sleep Disorders Australia