Research and Education - Nepean Lung and Sleep

Nepean Lung and Sleep is committed to the development of best practice in respiratory and sleep medicine. Our high calibre staff contribute to a range of research and education around Australia.

Current research participation opportunities

Are you struggling with your weight? Tired of trying weight loss diets with no results?

We invite you to take part in our obesity study.

To enrol you must be:

Overweight with a BMI of 25-60
Aged 18- 70
Motivated to lose weight
Have obstructive sleep apnoea (you may need to be tested to find out)

What the study involves:

Baseline questionnaires and tests, including a sleep study if needed
6 months treatment with dexamphetamine or placebo (inactive pill)
Weekly medical reviews for the first six weeks
The study will be double-blind, which means that you will not be told whether you are taking dexamphetamine or placebo (inactive pill)
Diet and exercise programs supervised by dietician

If you are interested, please phone Natalie on 4722 3001. You can also find out more about the study here.

Recent Research

NOVELTY Study

This study aims to explore diseases that affect the airways in the lungs, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim is that, in future, the most effective medicines can be given to patients depending on the type of lung disease they have.

Dr Donald Lee is a principal investigator for the NOVELTY study; Natalie Gauci is the sites clinical co-ordinator. You can read more about the study on the NOVELTY website.

Impact of Medicare on Sleep Services in NSW

Our Sleep Laboratory Manager, Erin Giarratano, collaborated on a research project about the impact of the November 2018 Medicare and Private Health changes on sleep services in New South Wales.

Created with colleagues from other sleep laboratories, this research was presented at the 2019 Sleep Down Under Conference in Australia. You can view the research here.

How the use of salbutamol changes results from single breath DLCO techniques

Our Respiratory Laboratory Manager, Natalie Gauci, conducted research on the variance of results from the single breath technique in Jaeger MasterScreen Body/Diffusion (RT), following the use of salbutamol.

This research was presented at the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science (ANZSRS) conference in Canberra, 2017. You can view the poster here.

Education

Podcast: chasing a good night’s sleep

In these increasingly stressful days, sleep has never been so important. Local GP Dr Michael Crampton talks to our Dr Donald Lee about why sleep is so elusive and what can be done about it. The conversation is split into two parts. In the first 20mins the discussion is community focussed, providing general advice about sleep, what a lack of sleep could be doing to your overall health, as well as tips for getting a good night sleep. Listen to the podcast here.