Another Sleep Apnea Device Makes a Splash

I have covered the universe of CPAP alternatives before in this space, and it isn’t a mystery why: Because the famous masks are so unwieldy, millions of sleep apnea sufferers who might otherwise benefit from positive airway pressure opt to go without them at night. As a consequence, medical device producers are constantly searching for something with a slimmer profile that might entice apnea sufferers to try a better way.

All of which is background about a new neurostimulator that has recently started making the rounds. Built to work in tandem with a pacemaker-like power pack in the subject’s chest, the stimulator provides tiny electrical charges to the tongue to keep it from drifting back and clogging the airway during sleep. Very preliminary results showed some improvement; roughly two-thirds of patients experienced a decline in breathing pauses.

But there are concerns as well. The experiment had no controls; a third of the patients were unchanged or became worse; and it’s not clear what the long-term effects of such a device might be. It is, in other words, far too early to place our hopes in a device whose only clinical trials have been generated by its parent company.

There is a more permanent way that you can address chronic sleep apnea and snoring. Minimally invasive sinus surgery such as septoplasty or turbinate reduction surgery can help reshape your anatomy to eliminate this problem for good.

If you have a tendency to wake up exhausted even after a full night in bed, I urge you to contact the Los Angeles sleep apnea experts here today.

Tags: cpap, los angeles sinus surgery, medical devices, news, NYT, sleep apnea