This first-of-its-kind treatment consists of a small implantable system called Inspire™ Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy. It has been clinically proven to significantly reduce sleep apnea events and improve quality of life for people who cannot tolerate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).
UH Case Medical Center was one of the clinical study sites for the Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction (The STAR Trial) study, and the findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Jan. 9, 2014). The STAR trial results showed that Inspire therapy reduced apnea events by 68 percent and significantly improved key quality of life measures.
More than 18 million Americans suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which is characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep. Patients with OSA stop breathing frequently during sleep, often for a minute or longer. “Sleep apnea is as prevalent as adult diabetes and asthma and the consequences of OSA range from disruptive to life-threatening,” said Kingman Strohl, MD, who was the principal investigator for the study at UH and co-author of the NEJM article. “While many patients have found help with CPAP, for some patients it is too difficult to use, and thus ineffective.”
Inspire therapy senses breathing and delivers mild stimulation to key airway muscles, which keeps the airway open during sleep. Using a handheld programmer, patients can control when the Inspire therapy is turned on or off. In contrast to other surgical procedures to treat sleep apnea, Inspire therapy does not require removing or permanently altering a patient’s facial or airway anatomy.
“Inspire therapy is an important addition to the options that we can offer to patients with obstructive sleep apnea,” said Diana Ponsky, MD, an otolaryngologist who will be one of the ear, nose, and throat surgeons implanting the system at UH. “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.”
For more information about the Inspire system and get an appointment for an evaluation concerning OSA, please call 866-UH4-CARE (866-844-2273).
Learn more about Inspire therapy at www.InspireSleep.com
About University HospitalsUniversity Hospitals, the second largest employer in Northeast Ohio with 25,000 employees, serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 12 hospitals, 26 outpatient centers and primary care physician offices in 15 counties. At the core of our $3.5 billion health system is University Hospitals Case Medical Center, ranked among America’s 50 best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in all 12 methodology-ranked specialties. The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, UH Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers of excellence in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopaedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and genetics. Its main campus includes UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University. For more information, go to www.uhhospitals.org
Sound bites from Kingman Strohl, MD, principal investigator at UH Case Medical Center for the Inspire study, an interview with one of the research participants, related b-roll, and natural sound are available for download on University Hospitals Case Medical Center Newsroom. http://news.uhhospitals.org/
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