Mercy Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic now offers Inspire therapy to treat sleep apnea

Mercy Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic now offers Inspire therapy, a new treatment option for patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This innovative solution is designed to offer relief for sleep apnea sufferers who cannot tolerate a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.

Inspire therapy is activated at night before bed. It delivers mild stimulation to key airway muscles when the patient breathes in, thereby relieving the blockage of the airway during sleep in patients who have OSA. Individuals simply turn on Inspire with a handheld remote before bed. Then, throughout the night, the device continually monitors breathing patterns and issues stimulation as needed. The remote can also be used to turn off the therapy when the user awakes.

Placement of the Inspire device is an outpatient procedure. Andrew Liu, MD, Mercy otolaryngologist, performs the Inspire device placement procedure in the Mercy operating room.

“Inspire is the only FDA-approved obstructive sleep apnea treatment that treats the root cause of sleep apnea,” Dr. Liu said. “We’ve seen very positive outcomes, including improved quality of life, with our patients who’ve chosen Inspire therapy to treat their sleep apnea.”

Inspire is a small device that’s implanted under the skin of the neck and chest with two small incisions in a same-day, outpatient procedure. It keeps the airway open using a gentle pulse that moves the tongue out of the way, so the user breathes freely and can sleep soundly.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 22 million Americans. It occurs when soft tissues in the airway collapse during sleep and block the flow of oxygen to the brain. The brain senses the lack of oxygen and wakes the body up. This cycle causes poor, disruptive sleep.

Inspire is designed for patients who are older than 18, not obese, and have been unable to use or benefit from CPAP.           

For more information on Inspire, contact Mercy’s ENT Clinic at www.mercycare.org/ENT or at (319) 398-6900.