The Sandman in the White Coat
Sometimes, You Have to Nod Off before You’re Ready for a Wake-Up Call
web extra
As a sleep-deprived truck driver, Rob knew he
was taking his life into his hands every time he
hit the road. But he had to hit rock bottom—
in a craterous pothole on the Rockaway
Turnpike—before recognizing that it was time
to seek help.
“Every day, I’d wake up exhausted, and I
couldn’t figure out why,” says the 46-year-old
executive, who now owns a vending company.
“I got 9 to 10 hours of shut-eye a night, but
I’d increasingly find myself nodding off at the
wheel.” Rob’s longtime buddies, brothers Rich
and Paul, begged him to see Omar Burschtin,
MD, director of the N YU Sleep Fellowship
Program. Dr. Burschtin had successfully treated
their sleep apnea, a disorder in which the
person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep,
sometimes hundreds of times, depriving the
brain and body of oxygen.
“Dr. Burschtin gave us back our lives,”
Rich says. Fifteen years ago, as bachelors, the
three amigos had shared a room in Iceland.
“Rich started snoring before his head hit the
pillow,” says Rob. “Paul started the second his
head hit. And I would start as soon as I tired of
their racket.”
“I ignored everyone,” admits Rob. “I was
in denial.” Until one evening, when he nodded
off—and out—at the wheel. “If I didn’t hit that
crater on the turnpike, I might have been killed,
or I could have killed or hurt someone else. My
heart was jumping out of my chest. That was
my wake-up call.”
The next day, he phoned his best friend.
“Rich,” Rob said to him. “I need the name of
your sleep guy.” Dr. Burschtin, clinical assistant
professor of medicine, is a sleep specialist,
pulmonologist, critical care specialist, and
page 9 | news & views web extra
internist who was born in Argentina and raised
in Uruguay. He treats more than 80 types
of sleep disorders, the most common being
apnea, which plagues an estimated 18 million
Americans, predisposing them to high blood
pressure, heart attacks, strokes, weight gain,
even death.
“Dr. Burschtin immediately put me
at ease,” says Rob. “He has a great sense of
humor, but he’s very serious about his work.”
On the physician’s desk were some of the tools
of the trade: disposable nasal valves, new
Dr. Burschtin is a sleep
specialist, pulmonologist,
critical care specialist, and
internist who treats more
than 80 types of sleep
disorders, the most common
being apnea, which plagues
an estimated 18 million
Americans, predisposing
them to high blood pressure,
heart attacks, strokes, weight
gain, even death.
on the market; a continuous positive airway
pressure (CPAP) mask; and a template of a
dental device. “No scalpel?” inquired Rob.
“Surgery is a last resort,” Dr. Burschtin replied,
twinkling.
John Abbott
“What will I need?” asked Rob. “We
won’t know until you spend a night at the
clinic,” says Dr. Burschtin. “The technicians
will closely monitor your breathing and sleep
patterns. If they determine that you have apnea,
they’ll hook you up to a CPAP machine and see
how you do. They might have to make several
adjustments with the mask or pressure levels.
Later, you and I will discuss the results and
decide on the proper approach.”
“I thought it was just a simple test,”
said Rob. “We do much more than sleep
testing here,” said Dr. Burschtin. “We do sleep
medicine.”
A few days after spending a night in one
of the center’s bedrooms, Rob sat down with
his doctor. “You do have sleep apnea, and it’s
serious,” said Dr. Burschtin. “At times, you’re
waking up every 45 seconds.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” said Rob. “On
the contrary,” said Dr. Burschtin. “During your
overnight, you seemed to have accommodated
the apparatus very well. About 30% of patients
can’t tolerate the air pressure or the mask. For
those who can, the ‘cure’ rate is nearly 100%.”
“Well, since you mention it, I could use a
more comfortable mask,” said Rob. “Right this
way,” said Dr. Burschtin, leading him to a closet
overflowing with masks of all shapes and sizes.
After a few tries, Rob found his new sleep mate.
Today, Rob, Rich, and Paul—Dr.
Burschtin affectionately calls them the “Three
Ex-Snorateers”—have happier wives and more
productive lives.
“I don’t even want to imagine what might
have happened if my friends had not convinced
me to see Dr. Burschtin,” says Rob. “He
probably saved my life. Him and that pothole.”
January/February 2012
