ETMC among First in Nation to Offer New Sleep Apnea Treatment
Posted/updated on: December 18, 2014 at 12:58 pm
TYLER — East Texas Medical Center Tyler is one of the first sites in the United States to offer Inspire therapy for people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to an ETMC news release. Inspire therapy utilizes first-of-its-kind technology — a small, fully implanted system that has been clinically proven to significantly reduce sleep apnea events and significantly improve quality of life measures, according to the release.
OSA affects an estimated 18 million Americans and occurs when the tongue and other soft tissues relax during sleep and obstruct the airway. This causes recurrent awakening and leads to daytime sleepiness or fatigue and increased risk of heart attack, stroke, weight gain, and high blood pressure. Inspire therapy senses breathing patterns and delivers mild stimulation to key airway muscles, which keeps the airway open during sleep. Inspire therapy is a promising new treatment option for people who are not receiving consistent benefits from continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), according to ETMC officials.
“We believe that this therapy represents a major advance in sleep apnea treatment, especially for vulnerable patients who cannot achieve benefit from CPAP,” said Dr. Michael Lewis with Ear, Nose and Throat Associates of East Texas. “Untreated moderate-to-severe OSA places patients at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, accidents, and death. Inspire therapy provides us with an effective new treatment to use in a select group of our CPAP intolerant patient population.”
Inspire therapy is a clinically proven solution, according to ETMC officials. Results from the STAR trial, a clinical study conducted at 22 leading medical centers in the United States and Europe, were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. STAR trial results showed that Inspire therapy reduced apnea events by 68 percent and significantly improved key quality of life measures. Dr. Lewis is the only surgeon in the East Texas area currently implanting the Inspire therapy, only at ETMC Tyler. For more information visit http://www.etmc.org or contact the ETMC Sleep Disorders Center at 903-531-8079.
