BWFH now offering Inspire upper airway stimulation therapy for obstructive sleep apnea

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is now offering Inspire® upper airway stimulation therapy, a breakthrough obstructive sleep apnea treatment option for those who cannot use Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy.

Obstructive sleep apnea affects over 25 million Americans and 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. When left untreated, sleep apnea can cause vehicle and workplace accidents, worsening mood and memory, stroke, heart attack and even death. 

Inspire therapy works inside the body with a patient’s natural breathing process to treat sleep apnea. Mild stimulation keeps the airway open 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 biggest advantage of this treatment is that the patient does not need to be tied to a CPAP mask. While CPAP is usually the best therapy for sleep apnea, some patients find it to be uncomfortable for and disruptive to their bed partners,” says Dr. Rohit Budhiraja from Brigham and Women’s Sleep Medicine and Endocrinology Clinic at BWFH. “It’s also great for patients who travel a lot because it eliminates the need for an entire piece of luggage to carry a CPAP machine. All patients need for a trip is their Inspire remote control to operate the implanted device.”

Dr. Budhiraja says so far his patients who are using the Inspire therapy are happy with their results. “It works to treat their sleep apnea and it provides an improvement in their quality of life,” he says. “I am thrilled to be able to offer this new treatment option to my sleep apnea patients who struggle with CPAP.”

For more information on Inspire upper airway stimulation therapy for obstructive sleep apnea, and to see if you might benefit from this new technology, visit BWFH.org.