Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
Millions of people suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is characterized by a disruption with breathing during sleep and frequent awakenings. With OSA, the tongue or other soft tissue may block the airway, creating dangerous breathing problems during sleep.
If you have a mild case, you may be able to treat sleep apnea with some lifestyle modifications, such as losing weight. Sometimes nasal allergies are a factor and treatment for them may help sleep apnea.
Dental appliances or oral mandibular advancement devices can be used to treat mild to moderate sleep apnea. These devices can prevent the tongue from blocking the throat and/or advance the lower jaw forward to help keep the airway open during sleep.
A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device is a very common treatment method for OSA. CPAP machines work by pressurizing air that is delivered through a hose and mask into the airway during sleep. The steady flow of air keeps the airway open, improving respiration and sleep quality.
Surgery may be a part of the treatment plan for some patients with OSA. Surgery may be recommended if you can’t tolerate CPAP therapy, which is the most effective treatment option for sleep apnea.
Some surgeries are minimally invasive, while others are more complex. The goal of surgery is to treat the areas of the airway that collapse and block your breathing during sleep. Surgery may stiffen, remove or reposition tissues in and around your throat.
INSPIRE Surgery
Summa Health offers the INSPIRE Solution for OSA sufferers who struggle or cannot use other treatments, such as a CPAP machine. This minimally invasive procedure uses an FDA-approved implantable device to deliver mild stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve to prevent the tongue from blocking the airway. The device consists of three components:
- a programmable neuro-stimulator located in a chest pocket
- a pressure sensing lead that detects patient's breathing
- a stimulator lead that delivers mild stimulation to the tongue nerve
How is the device implanted?
For this procedure, a stimulator is implanted under the skin on the right side of the chest with electrodes tunneled under the skin to the hypoglossal nerve in the neck and to intercostal muscles (between two ribs) in the chest.
INSPIRE surgery is generally performed as an outpatient procedure although some patients may require a one-night stay in the hospital for monitoring. This procedure is done under general anesthesia and generally takes two to three hours.
Recovery time is typically shorter than with other types of sleep surgery. Patients may experience mild discomfort the first few days and some scarring, but most report minimal pain. Side effects are usually very minimal and may include:
- Pain and/or swelling at the incision site, which is usually mild and temporary
- Tongue weakness/soreness, which improves over time
Most patients are able to return to their normal activities after a few days. The device is not activated for a month after surgery to allow for full recovery. After one month, patients will meet with their physician to establish their personal stimulation settings and learn how to use the INSPIRE sleep remote.
How it works
The patient can turn the device on at bedtime. With each breath, the hypoglossal nerve is stimulated, the tongue moves forward out of the airway and the airway is opened.
The device battery lasts approximately ten to eleven years, after which it can be replaced during a brief outpatient surgery.
Who is a candidate?
Inspire Therapy is not for everyone and patients will have to meet several characteristics:
- At least 18 years old
- Have a moderate to severe OSA
- Have been unsuccessful using a CPAP machine
- Have the appropriate palatal anatomy for the procedure to be successful
- Body Mass Index (BMI) of 32 or less
Learn how INSPIRE works
