LVPG Pulmonology offering Inspire® maskless system
LVPG Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine is offering the Inspire® maskless system for qualifying patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea affects 22 million Americans and occurs when your airway collapses during sleep. That blocks the flow of oxygen to your brain and causes a buildup of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream.
Ten percent of adults worldwide are believed to have obstructive sleep apnea, and men are twice as likely to develop it.
During sleep apnea, your brain senses a lack of oxygen and wakes you up just long enough for you to take a breath, and you then fall back asleep. This cycle repeats throughout the night and causes poor, disruptive sleep.
Interrupted and poor-quality sleep can lead to daytime sleepiness and fatigue, impaired attention and memory, headaches, depression and sexual dysfunction. Daytime sleepiness leads to a higher risk of motor vehicle accidents in people with obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is also associated with an increased risk of developing insulin resistance, which is an inability to regulate blood sugar levels effectively. It also can contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
“We’re excited to be able to offer Inspire to qualifying patients,” says pulmonologist Aileen Love, MD. “For those who can’t use or tolerate traditional continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, this can be a viable alternative.”
Inspire works inside your body with your natural breathing process to treat sleep apnea, delivering mild stimulation to key airway muscles, allowing your airway to open during sleep. It is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved obstructive sleep apnea treatment that works inside your body to treat the root cause of sleep apnea.
The Inspire system consists of a small battery and two small wires and is placed under the skin of your neck and chest through two small incisions during an outpatient procedure. Most patients return home the same day and return to non-strenuous activities within a few days.
You control Inspire by using a small, hand-held remote control which you turn on before bed and off in the morning. Additionally, you can pause therapy during the night if needed and increase or decrease therapy settings.
