MWT vs Polysomnography

scongdon

Well-Known Member
(Another ATC related bit, sorry, Dr.!)

I was informed by another apnea sufferer that the two options for passing the medical were:

1.) Follow up sleep tests with written documentation of the effectiveness of C-PAP treatment, OR

2.) Something called a Management of Wakefulness Test (MWT) - which I've read the specifics on.


-- Is there any word that the FAA will accept "good" results from this MWT and call it "ok?" My PEPC is on the 21st of November, and I want to have ALL my required ducks in a row before I get there.
 
D'oh.. "Maintenance" :)

Follow-up question...

I just saw a specialist today, and I'm getting hooked up with a new type of c-pap that's sort of a "mobile sleep lab." It's going to record my slumberish-info for two weeks, upon which the doctor will evaluate if I'm being treated properly, etc., it's a long story. After SIX WEEKS, however, I can take the MWT...

Here it is: My ATC PEPC is November 21... seeing as how I'm in the process of "completing" treatment, will I still be able to receive a TOL, with the FOL contingent on a physician's notice of complete treatment, or am I up a creek?
 
When exactly does the point of medical disqualification occur with sleep apnea? Simply the diagnosis? Or must it be supported with a MWT or polysomnogram? If it's the date of diagnosis, from the sounds of scongdon's post, it looks like getting a special issuance could be quite a lengthy process: 6 weeks to even take the MWT, 4+ weeks for the SI.

Seems doctors are pretty fast and loose when it comes to diagnosing sleep apnea since it isn't a huge deal for most people, but given the ramifications for FAA medical certification, it almost becomes one of those "don't ask questions you really don't want to know the answer to" sorts of things.
 
Well you cannot truly make the diagnosis without a sleep study. For the guys going to ATC, it is actually the Regional Flight Surgeon's office that reviews all of the medical file and they are also able to grant the Special Issuance thus accelerating the approval process.
 
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