Baptist Health Paducah now offering Inspire Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
A breakthrough obstructive sleep apnea treatment option.
(Paducah, Ky.) October 12, 2022 — Baptist Health Paducah is now offering Inspire® therapy, a breakthrough obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment option for those who cannot use Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy. Shawn Jones, MD, of Baptist Health Medical Group Ear, Nose & Throat, is currently performing this procedure to those patients who qualify.
OSA affects 22 million Americans. When left untreated, OSA can cause vehicle and workplace accidents, worsening mood and memory, stroke, heart attack and even death. It occurs when the airway collapses during sleep and blocks the flow of oxygen to the brain. The brain senses a lack of oxygen and wakes the body up just long enough to take a breath, then falls back asleep. This cycle repeats throughout the night and causes poor, disruptive sleep.
Inspire® Therapy is a treatment that works from inside the body. Inspire uses a patient’s natural breathing process to treat sleep apnea. Mild stimulation opens the airway during sleep, allowing oxygen to flow naturally. The patient uses a small, handheld remote to turn Inspire on before bed and off when they wake up.
The Inspire system is implanted during a short, outpatient procedure. It is placed under the skin of the neck and chest through two, small incisions. Most patients are able to return home the same day and take over-the-counter pain medicine to manage the pain as needed.
“This procedure can be life changing for individuals who qualify,” said Shawn Jones, MD. “The Inspire implant allows patients who are unable to tolerate a CPAP mask an opportunity to sleep more naturally and still effectively treat their obstructive sleep apnea. This is critically important because the risks of living with untreated sleep apnea are so high.”
CPAP is still the gold standard treatment, Inspire® is only for those who cannot use CPAP. If you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea and are having issues with using the CPAP, talk to your primary care provider to see if Inspire is right for you.
The safety and efficacy of Inspire was evaluated during the STAR clinical trial. Five-year STAR trial outcomes show that patients using Inspire experience less sleep apnea events and significant improvement in quality of life measures. There have been over 150 peer-reviewed publications on Inspire. These publications show results consistent with those seen in the STAR trial.