Inspire Therapy is new technology that works inside the body to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), rather than with a CPAP mask or outer body device. It is a small, implanted system that senses breathing patterns and delivers mild stimulation to maintain an open airway during sleep. The inspire system consists of a small generator, breathing sensor lead, and stimulation lead, that are all controlled by a small remote. The patient turns the device on when going to bed and it keeps the airway open, which stops apneas from occurring throughout the night.

The Inspire system stops the airway from being blocked and apneas from occurring by sensing breathing patterns and delivering mild stimulation to key airway muscles. This keeps the airway open at the soft palate, and tongue base, where blockage usually occurs.

Inspire Therapy became FDA approved in May of 2014. It has undergone clinical testing and review. In the STAR clinical trial, patients experienced a 68% reduction in apneas and significant improvements in quality of life and daytime functioning, as well as 85% of bed partners reporting no or soft snoring.

Inspire Therapy is for patients who have undergone a sleep study and been diagnosed with OSA and have an Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 15 or more. AHI is the number of apnea and hypopnea events occurring per hour of sleep. This means that Inspire Therapy is meant for sleep apnea patients who have either moderate or severe sleep apnea.

If you or a loved one has OSA and you want to learn more about Inspire Therapy as an option after other options have failed, find the nearest doctor that can help you on the Inspire website.

Stay tuned for more information on Inspire Therapy to be posted soon.