{"id":4701,"date":"2015-12-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-17T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/2015\/12\/17\/uchealth-first-in-state-to-offer-newest-technology-for-sleep-apnea\/"},"modified":"2023-07-03T12:33:22","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T18:33:22","slug":"uchealth-first-in-state-to-offer-newest-technology-for-sleep-apnea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/uchealth-first-in-state-to-offer-newest-technology-for-sleep-apnea\/","title":{"rendered":"UCHealth first in state to offer newest technology for sleep apnea"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. \u00a0\u2013 UCHealth is the first health system in Colorado to offer the latest alternative treatment option to people with obstructive sleep apnea<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Inspire therapy involves an implantable device that\u2019s designed to keep airways open with the push of a button. It is now offered through UCHealth\u2019s Poudre Valley Hospital Sleep Disorder Center in Fort Collins, where a team of specialists provides the most advanced care for patients.<\/p>\n

Sleep apnea \u2014 a condition in which a person involuntarily pauses or stops breathing when asleep \u2014 affects about 18 million Americans, according to the National Sleep Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you don\u2019t sleep well and you\u2019re not rested, the effect on your awake time is profound,\u201d said Dr. Mark Petrun, a UCHealth pulmonologist who specializes in sleep medicine. \u201cIt affects your concentration, alertness and ability to get things done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides wreaking havoc on a person\u2019s daily life, sleep apnea has serious and life-shortening consequences such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, Petrun added.<\/p>\n

The most common treatment for sleep apnea \u2014 and until recently, the only option with a fairly high success rate \u2014 is the use of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, or CPAP, while a person sleeps.<\/p>\n

The CPAP machine supplies constant and steady air pressure through a hose and mask. Although the device is effective in treating sleep apnea more than 90 percent of the time, the number of people actually wearing the device longer than four hours per night drops to about 60 percent, said Cindy Crosby, manager of PVH\u2019s Sleep Disorder Center.<\/p>\n

Inspire therapy, approved by the FDA in 2014, provides a person relief without a mask, said Dr. Matthew Robertson<\/a>, an otolaryngologist with Alpine Ear, Nose & Throat who performs the procedure.
\nThrough Inspire therapy, an electrical stimulus is delivered to the hypoglossal nerve, which controls the tongue, every time the patient breathes in. The stimulus prevents the tongue from falling backward and obstructing the airway.
\nIn an outpatient procedure, a small battery is implanted under the skin in the upper part of the chest. From that device, one wire is directed to the hypoglossal nerve, which controls the tongue, and another to the rib cage area so it can sense the patient\u2019s natural breathing patterns. When a patient inspires, an electrical stimulus is delivered to the tongue. This gives the tongue tone and prevents it from falling backward and obstructing the airway. The device can be controlled \u2014 turned on at night and off in the morning \u2014 by a small handheld remote control.<\/p>\n

In a clinical trial that implanted the Inspire device into patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea, patients experienced a 68 percent reduction in sleep apnea events, a significant reduction in snoring and significant improvements in quality of life, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an exciting cutting-edge treatment option for CPAP-intolerant, sleep apnea patients,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cIf the patient meets criteria, it will be a life-changing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspire therapy is not the solution for all patients. To qualify for the device, patients must meet the following qualifications:<\/p>\n