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He also liked the idea that Inspire had FDA approval since that meant the $30,000 procedure would be covered by insurance, she said. "He wouldn't have done it if he didn't think it would work," she said.įred Harley, who declined to be interviewed so soon after surgery, had tried a similar device before as part of a research study and it worked well, so he decided to get Inspire, his wife said. Though it hasn't been turned on yet, Harley's wife, Brenda, said she and her husband have "high hopes" that it will improve his sleep apnea. Pleasure Ridge Park resident Fred Harley had surgery earlier this week to receive the Inspire system. For example, they might be too claustrophobic to wear the mask or might be unable to find one that fits their anatomy appropriately, Gould said.Īnd surgical options have tended to be more extensive than Inspire requires and "primarily removed or altered the anatomy," Gould said. Though CPAP is the gold standard therapy, some people can't tolerate it.

Patients have to have failed - or been unable to tolerate - positive airway pressure treatments, such as using a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine that requires wearing a mask while sleeping. "If that fixes the problem, then they'll do very well, but if they have other areas of obstruction, then it wouldn't be effective."

With this device, "all we're doing is moving the tongue forward," Gould said. Prior to receiving the system, which is produced by Inspire Medical Systems of Minnesota, patients must receive an anatomical evaluation to make sure they're good candidates for the system, Gould said. Also, "their work productivity improves," and they can avoid getting into accidents related to sleepiness, he said. The goal of treatment is "to improve a person's sleep and then also their health because when you treat someone's untreated sleep apnea, other disease processes improve," said Gould, who's with Advanced ENT and Allergy. Watch Video: Two ways to diagnose sleep apnea Sleep apnea can lead to loud snoring and increase the risk of serious health conditions, such as high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and heart failure, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Inspire is designed to help patients whose "tongue falls backwards and blocks off their airway, so that when they try to breath in, it's obstructed and their oxygen levels drop, and it stresses out their heart, and they wake up tired, and it has a lot of negative health effects." Andrew Gould, a Louisville surgeon who performed Kentucky's first Inspire surgery earlier this month. "The hypoglossal nerve is the main nerve that moves the tongue," said Dr. The system senses breathing and stimulates the hypoglossal nerve that controls the tongue, moving it forward so that the patient's airway stays open when it needs to. Inspire consists of a small, pacemaker-like device with leads (wires) attached to it that's implanted into the upper chest. It's installed during outpatient surgery and can be wirelessly turned off and on by the patient, using a remote. Food and Drug Administration in April for people age 22 and older. The Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation system was approved by the U.S. A new treatment for adults with obstructive sleep apnea may help some patients get a better night's sleep without using a mask at night or getting extensive surgery.Ĭertain non-obese patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea now have the option to get a surgically implanted system to help keep their airway open at night.