EXPERIMENTAL SHOCK STIMULATOR FOR SLEEP APNEA SUFFERERS

Posted on December 30, 2010 by

A pacemaker like upper airway stimulation therapy unit is entering limited patient trials in the US and Europe and is hope to be an asnwer for the 12 million Americans suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. The new system sends a small electrical stimulation to the nerve at the base of the tongue in order to keep it from blocking the air to and from the lungs. It is implanted under the skin near the collarbone and a wire is fed to the twelfth cranial nerve. A sensor detects when the patient takes a breath and instructs the implant to stimulate the nerve. It is not strong enough to wake the sleeper. The maker is Inspire Medical Systems which has been cleared for clinical trials of the system by the FDA

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