The only FDA-approved device inside the body to treat sleep apnea
Houston - A local flight attendant, struggling to stay alert at work, finds the answer to his problem through a small device that treats sleep apnea. It's the only FDA-approved therapy that works inside the body to treat the root of the problem. Bryan Foster is a busy career guy and avid fisherman and was frustrated to struggle with health problems the past 20 years.
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"I had headaches. I always felt anxious, angry. You could feel like there was always something wrong. You just didn't know what. You couldn't pinpoint it. I couldn't sleep," states Bryan. He found out it was obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, causing all those symptoms. "I truly believe, if you can control your sleep, you control a lot of things, like blood pressure. I probably would have had a heart attack or a stroke by now. My blood pressure was running 170 over 100 consistently," says Bryan.
Ears, Nose, and Throat Specialist, and surgeon, Dr. Andrew Huang with Baylor College of Medicine says OSA can be life-threatening.
"When you sleep, instead of being able to breathe normally like you do during the day and awake, you're actually obstructing yourself or suffocating at night," explains Dr. Huang. Four areas in the upper airway can lead to OSA. A device called Inspire is helping patients whose tongue is causing the problem. "Mostly the tongue, but also correct some palatal and throat related collapses anywhere that's connected to the tongue," says Dr. Huang. There are less invasive ways of treating OSA, like with oral appliances. "It does require a lot of maintenance and people need to really follow up with their Prosthodontist who makes them because over time, it can stretch the jaw joint, causing inflammation of the joint, TMJ disorder, as well as shift the teeth," explains Dr. Huang. CPAP is also an effective and common treatment for sleep apnea, but it doesn't work for all patients, including Bryan. "It was like a category 5 hurricane going through my head, too much air, couldn't sleep, couldn't stand something on my face all the time. I think I slept worse with it on, than off," describes Bryan. He tried BiPap after that, which is even more powerful, and says he couldn't handle it, either. That's another reason that Dr. Huang thought he would be the perfect candidate for this form of neuromodulation. "This one prevents the tongue from being able to collapse and obstruct your breathing. So, in my patients where this is the main cause of the obstruction, it completely gets rid of the obstructions," says Dr. Huang.
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"I had to go through a few steps to qualify for Inspire. One, I had to do a sleep test. Number two, I had to be sedated for about 15 minutes, so Dr. Huang could study the anatomy of my neck and mouth and where the tongue goes, and then they decide if you're a good candidate or not for it. I was! So later, they went into the right side of my chest, and they put a little battery in, and they have electrodes that go to a little wire that goes to my throat, and it basically ties into my tongue. So, when I turn it on, it pulls my tongue forward through the night. You cannot feel it while you're sleeping. It's actually amazing," exclaims Bryan.
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A remote control runs the device. "You hold it to your chest, hear the beep, and it's activated now. So, mine is set for 50 minutes after I go to sleep. Once I go to sleep and my tongue starts to slip down my throat and close the airway, it basically pulls it (tongue) back up, opens up my airway all night, and I get good sleep," explains Bryan. He says it has truly been a lifesaver for him the past three years. "I'm not angry anymore, I don't have headaches. I have a lot of energy. I actually sleep at night now; we're talking deep sleep. No hoses, no mask, no machine, no respiratory infections, no having to change water; so many things in this one little device," describes Bryan. He says it also lowered his blood pressure to normal levels and he feels assured the device will help him the rest of his life.
Baylor College of Medicine was one of the first to offer Inspire through clinical trials and now more than 50,000 people have undergone the procedure. Studies show most patients show significant sleep improvement with the device. Batteries have to be changed through a simple procedure every 10 to 12 years and most insurance companies cover the cost.
Doctors say the most common side effects of Inspire happen right after surgery and include soreness around the area of the implanted device, throat pain, and temporary weakness in the tongue.