Sleep Apnea Claims Life of State Rep. Robert Donatucci

LOVELAND, CO, November 11, 2010

State Rep. Robert Donatucci was elected to his 16th House term last week, but his career in office was tragically cut short in the early morning on Tuesday, November 9, 2010. Donatucci died in his sleep, his death caused by sleep apnea according to a doctor. Just about a week earlier, Donatucci had gone in for a sleep study, but he found the CPAP mask that he was asked to wear to be uncomfortable and did not complete the test.

"It's unfortunate that Mr. Donatucci wasn't tested earlier in life for sleep apnea," says Philadelphia sleep apnea dentist, Dr. Kenneth Siegel. Dr. Siegel treats sleep apnea patients who, like State Rep. Donatucci, cannot tolerate or do not wish to undergo CPAP treatment, using oral sleep apnea appliances.

According to the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, somewhere between 18 million and 20 million people in America suffer from sleep apnea, and most of them haven't even been diagnosed. Of those who are diagnosed and are prescribed treatment with a CPAP machine (CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure), fewer than 50% of those patients will comply with the treatment.

Sleep apnea affects the body by decreasing the oxygen levels in the blood, depriving the vital organs of the body the oxygen needed to perform effectively. It is unknown what kind of sleep apnea Mr. Donatucci had.

People who exhibit symptoms of sleep apnea are encouraged to get a sleep study to correctly diagnose sleep apnea and then follow up with sleep apnea treatment from a sleep physician or sleep dentist.

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