Nerve Stimulator Treatment for Sleep Apnea now Offered in Atlanta

ATLANTA - July 28, 2014 - PRLog -- Advanced Ear Nose & Throat Associates announced today the availability of a new treatment for sleep apnea: Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy which is now approved for patients with moderate to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) who are unable to use Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP).  Inspire therapy is a fully implanted neuro-stimulation device, the first of its kind for sleep apnea, that provides an alternative treatment that is proven, convenient and easy to use. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a prevalent health issue affecting about 18 million Americans, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Research shows that an individual with poorly managed OSA is at increased risk for heart attack, stroke, weight gain, high blood pressure, heart failure and falling asleep while driving. Sleep apnea can also be disruptive to one’s everyday activities causing depression, spousal issues, irritability and daytime fatigue.

Current treatments for OSA include weight loss, CPAP, oral appliances and anatomy altering surgeries. CPAP is the current standard of care for OSA management. It is often successful but recent studies have shown that roughly half of all patients that start CPAP do not continue to consistently use it.  Inspire therapy is a fully implanted system consisting of three components: a small nerve stimulator, a sensing lead and a stimulation lead. The only external component is a small handheld remote control used to turn the therapy on before bed and off upon awakening. When activated, Inspire therapy senses breathing patterns and delivers mild stimulation to key airway muscles, which keeps the airway open during sleep. In contrast to other surgical options to treat sleep apnea, Inspire therapy does not require removal or permanent alteration of facial or airway anatomy. As such, the procedure is less invasive and should result in a shorter recovery time. “The Inspire implant is an excellent surgical treatment for patients with sleep apnea who can’t tolerate or who have failed CPAP therapy,” said Samuel Mickelson MD, sleep disorders specialist at Advanced Ear Nose & Throat Associates and medical director of Advanced Sleep Centers in Atlanta Georgia.  Dr. Mickelson was an investigator in the international research study that led to FDA approval of Inspire therapy.  “Snoring and sleep apnea are serious problems for many people, but now there is an excellent alternative to wearing CPAP. Inspire therapy had a 70% success rate in our research study. Our patients improved their quality of life, snoring, sleep quality and daytime functioning,” said Dr. Mickelson.  Dr. Mickelson is board certified in both Sleep Medicine and Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and is the only physician in Georgia performing Inspire nerve stimulation therapy. According to Dr. Mickelson, “Patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea who are not using CPAP all night and every night are at increased risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and death. The Inspire therapy represents  a major advance in sleep apnea therapy for these patients.”

Patients implanted with Inspire therapy who participated in the company’s STAR (Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction) pivotal clinical trial experienced a 68 percent reduction in apnea events, a 70 percent reduction in oxygen desaturation events, and significant improvements in daytime functioning as measured by two validated questionnaires. These results were published in the January 9, 2014 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Inspire Medical Systems, based in Minneapolis, Minn., developed the world’s first fully implanted and FDA-approved neurostimulation system for the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The Inspire system uses well established neurostimulation technologies and incorporates a proprietary algorithm which stimulates key airway muscles based on a patient’s unique breathing patterns. Inspire therapy is designed to reduce OSA severity and improve quality of life for patients living with this challenging condition. Visit Inspire Medical Systems to learn important safety information for Inspire therapy at www.inspiresleep.com or www.advancedentpc.com to learn more about sleep apnea and alternative therapies since Inspire therapy is not for everyone.

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