For patients who qualify, Mercy Northwest Arkansas and Mercy Fort Smith now offer the Inspire sleep apnea treatment, an alternative to CPAP that uses an implanted device to provide stimulation that helps open the airway during sleep.
Several surgical steps are involved in implanting the Inspire device, including an endoscopic procedure beforehand and an outpatient operation requiring incisions in the jaw and chest. A stimulator goes on the nerve to the tongue, while an Oreo-cookie-sized device is placed in the patient's chest. The devices are activated through a computer mouse-like mechanism. When a patient goes into sleep apnea, the tongue is pushed forward through the stimulator.
Matthew Sharum, MD, otolaryngologist with Mercy Clinic Ear, Nose & Throat – Tower West in Fort Smith, has now performed the surgical procedure for several patients and is eager to monitor their outcomes.
“Sleep apnea is a big problem for patients around the country. More and more people are having trouble controlling it,” he said. “And there’s a huge patient population that can’t tolerate the CPAP at all. There’s really no other good option for them until now.”
Dimitry Fomin, MD, with Mercy Clinic Sleep Medicine – Physicians Plaza in Rogers said Inspire is for a select group of patients who suffer from sleep apnea.
“For patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea disorder, and failed previous trials with CPAP, this allows us to provide an effective therapy,” he said. “Previously, we had nothing to offer them other than radical corrective surgery of the airway.”
While CPAP is still the gold standard for sleep apnea treatment, Inspire is designed for people who can’t tolerate it, which can be up to 60% of patients, the doctors said.