Inspire® Upper Airway Stimulation
Introducing Inspire® Therapy
Inspire therapy is a promising new clinically proven, treatment option approved by the FDA:
- Clinically proven to reduce sleep apnea events and improve quality of life and daytime functioning
- Fully implanted; does not require a mask or oral appliance
- Designed to work with your body’s natural anatomy and breathing processes
- Simple and easy to use
Inspire® therapy is perfect for people unable to use CPAP
Inspire Therapy Treats Patient Suffering From Acute Sleep Apnea
Approximately 20% of American adults suffer from sleep apnea — a sleeping disorder so crippling that it can put a person’s life in danger. Chris was dealing with sleep apnea for more than five years and not getting a good night’s sleep was the least of his worries. Working in construction management, he needed to be alert on the job site while moving forklifts and cranes. Feeling constantly tired at work, he powered through coffee and at times, took naps in his truck during his lunch hour. Coming home from work, he was unable to give time to his daughter and play with her. Instead, he just wanted to sit down and fall asleep. At one point he even fell asleep behind the wheel, crashing his truck.
When Chris met Dr. Weeks, he had already tried traditional forms of treatment for sleep apnea, such as a CPAP machine and throat surgery, and he was using a dental device to keep his tongue out of his throat while sleeping at night. Unfortunately, none of these treatments were working for him. He felt the weight of this sleeping disorder dragging him down and seriously affecting his life.
Diagnosing his condition, Dr. Weeks suggested Inspire therapy — the newest form of technologically advanced treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. The treatment involves surgically installing a stimulator that senses the patient’s breathing at night, stimulates selective branches of the nerves that make the tongue stick out, and moves the tongue out of the way out of the airway. The stimulation is carefully timed with breathing by a small sensor implanted near the patient’s diaphragm, making the treatment extremely reliable and effective. This provides a tremendous opportunity for the patient to get ahead of the disease. Watch this video of Dr. Weeks operating on Chris, implanting a pacemaker for the contraction of his tongue muscles, so that when he breathes, his tongue moves out of the way. Post-surgery, Chris acknowledges, “I’m definitely much better today than I was just two months ago.”
