Health: New Sleep Apnea Treatment
By Stephanie Stahl
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There's a new option for the 18 million Americans who suffer with obstructive sleep apnea which can cause a variety of health problems including an increased risk of heart disease and weight gain.
Chemistry teacher Jody Christophe has more energy to grade papers after getting her sleep apnea under control. The disorder, marked by snoring, causes people to temporarily stop breathing, interfering with restful sleep. They're typically left exhausted.
Jody says, "I didn't feel good and I didn't feel good a lot." Jody now has an implanted device made by Inspire. It's a pacemaker-like generator that has one sensor to detect breathing patterns and another one that stimulates the upper airway.
Dr. Karl Doghrmaji with the Jefferson Sleep Center will be the first in the Philadelphia area to offer the implant. He says, "It is a stimulator which essentially stimulates the throat muscles to expand, opening the throat in sleep apnea patients."
Dr. Doghrmaji says the implant is a new option for people who can't use the standard treatment: a c-pap machine. "We really never had an alternative with this level of effectiveness that comes close to c-pap before."
The implant is turned off and on with a remote control. Jody says the stimulation usually doesn't wake her up. "It just feels like you have to swallow," she says. She also says the surgery to implant the device was easy and it's been a life changer. "I can function in the afternoon which, you know, that wasn't happening. And I can sleep with my husband again," Jody explains.
Doctors say the implant doesn't work for everyone and may cause some throat irritation.
For more information, visit: http://hospitals.jefferson.edu/departments-and-services/sleep-disorders-center/?_vsrefdom=neuro_search&gclid=CNTV3JTop8ICFfEF7AodDmAAcA and https://www.inspiresleep.com/inspire-therapy/how-it-works/?hpp=1-nmm