Alternate Therapy for Apnea

Note: I have just started gathering information This article is nowhere near ready for public consumption but feel free to grab info where you need to.

General Info

https://www.sleepassociation.org/sleep-treatments/cpap-machines-masks/cpap-alternatives/

https://www.eossleep.com/2015/12/28/6-cpap-alternatives-that-will-actually-make-your-life-better/

CPAP

Standard Therapy

Inspire

more to come

Studies published in major scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that 2 out of 3 patients who received the Upper Airway Stimulation system achieved a dramatic improvement or resolution of their sleep apnea. This means 1 out of 3 did not achieve satisfactory results. Of the 2/3 that did, the percentage that resolved/eliminated there apnea are not stated, which means that a percentage of the success likely requires addition treatment.

Most of the procedure reviews are positive so it definitely works for some, but very few if any negative reviews, likely because the positive reviews are mostly on sites that sell the service.

Check out Inspire therapy.

"Inspire therapy is a breakthrough implantable treatment option for people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea who are unable to use or get consistent benefit from Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). While you’re sleeping, Inspire monitors every breath you take. Based on your unique breathing patterns, the system delivers mild stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve which controls the movement of your tongue and other key airway muscles. By stimulating these muscles, the airway remains open during sleep.

The Inspire obstructive sleep apnea device is controlled by a small handheld sleep remote. The remote allows you to turn Inspire therapy on before bed and off when you wake up, increase and decrease stimulation strength, and pause during the night if needed."

Its kind of like a pace maker for OSA. Seems bizarre, however another solution for you to research!!

Think it ok to post this link: https://www.inspiresleep.com/

forum first-steps-for-inspire-therapy-coming-up

from Post #16 Actually it cost about $40,000 for me. My insurance paid it 100%. I had already met my deductible and I literally paid $0.00 for this surgery. I called the insurance company and lobbied for it. They had ever paid for it and they made a few calls and it was agreed to. Normally I hear it takes 6-8 weeks for insurance approval but my time was a lot shorter.

My summary of the surgery is that it saved my life. Yes it is invasive. Three 3 inch incisions. Implanted device near the collarbone and one under the jaw and one in my right chest. Total time out of work was 3.5 days. Waited 1 month until they turned it on after surgery and my sleep apnea is almost 100% gone. The stimulation that it does is uncomfortable but is not painful, really just a bit weird feeling. I now get a good solid 6-7 hours of sleep each night. I no longer feel like a walking zombie.

The only maintenance with the unit is to carry the remote with me when I travel and to turn it on and off when I go to sleep and when I get up.

The battery is supposed to last ~10 years. I am 56 years old and assuming that I have it replaced when I am 65-66 I suspect the technology will have improved by then and it will last double that amount and that will be it for me.

It may not be for everyone, for sure, but for me (tried every type of Pap therapy and none were tolerable) it is a real lifesaver. My surgery was at University Hospital in Cleveland Ohio.

Sleeprider 11/12/16 http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-Info-on-INSPIRE This is the first I have heard of it. The results of the Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction (STAR) clinical trial look very good. This was a three year trial, and key findings are that the improvements observed at one-year were sustained at the three-year follow up mark. The outcomes include:

• A 78% reduction in apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from baseline
• An 80% reduction in oxygen desaturation events from baseline
• 80% of bed partners reported soft or no snoring as compared to 17% of bed partners at baseline
• Quality of life measures, including daytime sleepiness and functioning, showed clinically meaningful improvements and a return to normal levels over baseline

Abstract is here: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0194599815616618

It's not perfect, and not recommended for those that tolerate CPAP therapy, but for sleep apnea patients with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea, and intolerance or poor efficacy for CPAP, it looks pretty good.

http://sleep-doctor.com/blog/upper-airway-stimulation-expensive-but-worth-it/

Surgery

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SURGERY FOR SNORING AND SLEEP APNEA

http://sleep-doctor.com/surgical-treatment-overview/choosing-right-surgery-snoring-sleep-apnea/

• Surgical Treatment Overview
• Choosing the Right Surgery
  • DRUG-INDUCED SLEEP ENDOSCOPY
  • NASAL PROCEDURES
    • PLASTY & NASAL VALVE SURGERY
    • SEPTOPLASTY
    • SINUS SURGERY
    • TURBINATE SURGERY
  • PALATE PROCEDURES
    • EXPANSION SPHINCTER PHARYNGOPLASTY
    • LATERAL PHARYNGOPLASTY
    • PALATE RADIOFREQUENCY
    • PALATE SURGERY
    • PILLAR PROCEDURE
    • UVULOPALATOPLASTY (CAUTERY-ASSISTED)
  • TONGUE REGION PROCEDURES
    • EPIGLOTTIS SURGERY
    • GENIOGLOSSUS ADVANCEMENT
    • HYOID SUSPENSION
    • LINGUAL TONSILLECTOMY
    • MIDLINE GLOSSECTOMY AND SUBMUCOSAL LINGUALPLASTY
    • TONGUE RADIOFREQUENCY
  • INSPIRE UPPER AIRWAY STIMULATION
  • MAXILLOMANDIBULAR ADVANCEMENT

Positional

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