What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a condition that affects an estimated 12 million adults in the United States. It occurs when your airway becomes obstructed or closed off during sleep, causing difficulty breathing and limiting your body’s oxygen intake. If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to serious health consequences, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

Sleep apnea is commonly treated by using CPAP machines to push air through your airway and keep it open while you sleep. While these devices can be extremely effective in treating sleep apnea for many patients, they are often uncomfortable, noisy, and can cause nasal congestion or dryness. These disadvantages may lead some patients to seek an alternative treatment to help them manage their sleep apnea.

Inspire®

Inspire® Upper Airway Stimulation is an FDA-approved treatment for sleep apnea that is highly effective for those who struggle with devices like CPAPs. In this procedure, a small device is placed in your chest to deliver mild stimulation to the nerve that controls your tongue and other airway muscles. This stimulation keeps the airway from closing while you're asleep.

You will be able to control the Inspire® system with a small remote to turn the device on before you go to bed and off in the morning when you wake up. The remote can also be used to adjust the strength of stimulation to ensure that the therapy is comfortable and effective.

About the Inspire® Procedure

The procedure to have the Inspire® system placed takes only two to three hours, and most patients will be able to go home the same day. Your surgeon will make two small incisions: one in your upper right chest where the device will be placed, and one under your chin, near the hypoglossal nerve.

The procedure to have the Inspire® system placed takes only two to three hours, and most patients will be able to go home the same day. Your surgeon will make two small incisions: one in your upper right chest where the device will be placed, and one under your chin, near the hypoglossal nerve.

About 4–6 weeks after your surgery, you will have an appointment with your doctor to program the initial settings and receive the remote for your device. After 12 weeks of using the device at home, you'll have an overnight sleep study performed to fine tune the settings and make sure it is working as effectively as possible. You may need additional sleep studies to monitor your progress going forward.

Benefits of Inspire

The Inspire treatment can provide many benefits to patients suffering from sleep apnea, including:

  • The Inspire treatment can provide many benefits to patients suffering from sleep apnea, including:
  • Increased ability to perform daily tasks
  • Decreased risk of health concerns associated with sleep apnea
  • Reduced snoring

Is Inspire a Good Fit for Me?

Inspire might be a good approach to treat your sleep apnea if you:

  • Are 18 or older
  • Have a BMI below 32 (or below 35 if you have Select Health or Medicare)
  • Have sleep apnea with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) greater than 15 and lower than 65
  • Do not have significant central sleep apnea
  • Have failed to see results with CPAP

If you meet these criteria and have struggled with CPAP devices or other sleep apnea treatments in the past, Inspire® may be the answer. Contact our team at Intermountain for more information about this procedure and how it can help you and your loved ones get better sleep and live a healthier life.