Mercy Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic is now offering 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.
Activated at night before bed using a handheld remote, Inspire therapy 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. Throughout the night, the device continually monitors breathing patterns and issues stimulation as needed.
Placement of the Inspire device is an outpatient procedure. Dr. Andrew Liu, a 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 in a release. “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. 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.
For more information on Inspire, contact Mercy’s ENT Clinic at mercycare.org/ENT or at (319) 398-6900.
