Maybe you’ve struggled with sleep apnea for many years and didn’t realize you had a problem. Has your spouse or partner ever woken you up to ask that you stop snoring? Have you struggled to get a much needed night of rest because the person next to you cannot stop snoring? This may be due to a common condition known as sleep apnea.
For a long time, the only answer for sleep apnea has been positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP, BPAP, APAP). The CPAP pump has long been the gold standard for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). When used, it’s effective in helping patients experience better rest. However, it’s estimated that more than half the people who are diagnosed with OSA do not use the device.
Some patients just cannot tolerate CPAP therapy. If this is you, you may want to consider alternative treatment options, including surgery.
Sleep Apnea Requires Treatment
Without treatment, sleep apnea may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, obesity and motor vehicle collisions. OSA is a common sleep disorder that affects roughly 1 billion people globally, which is roughly one out of every 10 people and up to 30% of the elderly.
A major determining factor of upper airway patency during sleep is the activity of the genioglossus muscle. Activation of this muscle via stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve is a creative new approach for treatment of OSA. Enter a company name – Inspire Medical Systems – they developed the treatment which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2014.
What is Inspire?
Inspire is a mask-free alternative that uses an implantable device similar to a pacemaker to monitor every breath you take. Based on your individual breathing patterns, it delivers mild stimulation to a nerve that controls muscles at the back of your throat. By stimulating these muscles, the system keeps your airway open during sleep. With a handheld remote, you turn the device on before bed and off when you wake up.
If you meet the eligibility requirements, our physicians will confirm that Inspire therapy is right for you. Once confirmed, our physicians will perform a safe outpatient procedure. Three small incisions are made: one under the jawline, one at the upper chest and one at the lower chest. A sensor is then placed by the ribs that signals the battery pack on the upper chest to open the airway while sleeping.
About a month after the procedure is performed, patients resume their normal activities. The battery may need to be replaced after about a decade.
What to Expect
Inspire therapy is very successful. As of October 2020, there have been more than 100 peer-reviewed publications on Inspire therapy. These publications show that patients using Inspire therapy experience significant benefits:
- 79% reduction in sleep apnea events, resulting in a healthier, restful night’s sleep
- 94% of people are satisfied with Inspire
- 96% of patients say Inspire is better than CPAP and would recommend Inspire to others
- Improvements in daytime functioning from better sleep
Nationally, we know that people tolerate CPAP 50% of the time. With Inspire, we see a satisfaction rate of 94%. In addition, a five-year clinical trial asked about the snoring of bed partners with OSA. Before Inspire, 83% of bed partners reported snoring. After Inspire, only 10% reported snoring, and 90% reported some to no snoring at all.
Ear, Nose & Throat Associates offers Inspire® Sleep Apnea treatment for those who do not do well with CPAP. Visit ENTFW.com/Inspire to learn more.
“Since getting Inspire, I feel like a different person–a more awake person that is living and not just surviving.” – Karen W.