BALTIMORE, Md. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Sleep apnea – ceasing or struggling to breathe while asleep – is a serious condition that can lead to heart disease and even lung damage. CPAP machines are routinely prescribed to keep continuous air flow going, but they are bulky, noisy, and claustrophobic. But now, there is a tiny, implantable device placed into the chest and according to some users, it’s been a lifesaver. Inspire device
Roger Schwalm is one of the six million people who every night, strap on a mask, hooked into a bulky hose, hooked into a big CPAP machine just to breathe while they’re asleep.
“It only lets me sleep really good, on most cases, maybe three, four hours a night and then it gets so painful, I have to take it off,” Roger tells Ivanhoe.
CPAP non-compliance is a huge problem. The causes are many – claustrophobia, noise, whistling at 3 a.m.
“It was just annoying and it was like, sometimes, I just wanted to throw it across the room,” Roger’s wife, Linda recalls.
When patients fail to use their CPAP, apnea can lead to pulmonary hypertension, decreased concentration, fatigue, and even non-alcoholic liver disease. So, some users are trying an implantable device called Inspire for alternative treatment.
“What the Inspire has done for people is it, basically, unshackles them from being stuck in bed. Basically, there’s a battery pack, or a power pack, that gets implanted between the second and third rib on the right side of the chest,” WellSpan Health otolaryngologist and head & neck surgeon, Joshua Dunklebarger, MD, explains.
Two attached wires – one in the chest and one in the neck – sense and trigger the breathing response. Once implanted, the device remains for 12 years before the battery pack is replaced. A remote controls the little device that has a huge payback, according to Linda.
“I just sleep, and, it’s just been amazing for me. The change in my life,” Linda exclaims.
It’s smart to check with your insurance companies, including Medicare, some of which will pay for CPAP equipment, as well as the Inspire device. That’s a good thing, as both device costs thousands of dollars each.
Contributors to this news report include: Donna Parker, Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Source:
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: INSPIRE DEVICE BRINGS LIFE-CHANGING SLEEP
REPORT: MB #5234
BACKGROUND: Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea. The main types of sleep apnea are: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), central sleep apnea (CSA), and treatment-emergent central sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is prevalent in as many as 18 million Americans alone. This statistic denotes that approximately 1 in every 15 Americans, or 6.62% of the total American population have a case of sleep apnea, and two to four percent of all Americans have an undiagnosed case of sleep apnea. This accounts for approximately 1 in 50 individuals being undiagnosed.
DIAGNOSING: The symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas overlap, sometimes making it difficult to determine which type you have. The most common symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas include: loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, awakening with dry mouth, morning headache, difficulty paying attention while awake, and/or irritability. Your health care provider may make an evaluation based on your symptoms and a sleep history, which you can provide with help from someone who shares your bed or your household, if possible. Tests to detect sleep apnea include: nocturnal polysomnography and/or home sleep tests.
(Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20377636)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Inspire is an alternative to CPAP that works inside your body while you sleep. It’s a small device placed during a same-day, outpatient procedure. Inspire is the only FDA approved obstructive sleep apnea treatment that works inside your body to treat the root cause of sleep apnea with just the click of a button. Since its release, 90% of bed partners reported no snoring or soft snoring, 79% reported a reduction in sleep apnea events, and 94% of Inspire patients say Inspire is better than CPAP.
(Source: https://www.inspiresleep.com)
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Ryan Coyle
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