Inspire Obstructive Sleep Apnea Implant Treatment

There has been a lot of commotion on the new Inspire sleep apnea treatment. It is also known as upper-airway stimulation for obstructive sleep apnea. This is a terrific cpap alternative for people with moderate to severe sleep apnea.

Did you know that over 50% of people who are diagnosed with sleep apnea can’t use a cpap mask? Are you one of these people? Then again, maybe you just want to get rid of that annoying cpap mask for good!

Well, this procedure could be great news for you. It also FDA approved since 2014.

How does Inspire sleep apnea implant work?
inspire sleep apnea

Inspire therapy is surgical implant for sleep apnea that is done by making 3 small incisions into the neck and the chest area.

It is a short outpatient procedure and recovery is very minimal (just a little soreness and swelling for a day or two afterwards).

The device is implanted in the area seen in the picture. It has 3 parts which are a stimulation lead, and impulse generator, and sensing lead. These work in reverse order.

First the sensing leads detects when an adjustment needs to be made by monitoring your breathing patterns.

The sensor sends the signal to the impulse generator, which then tells the stimulation lead to make the adjustment to the key airway muscles that is causing the obstructive episode.

This is all activated by a remote that you simply turn on when you go to bed, then turn it off when you wake up.

That is all you have to do. Everything else takes care of itself.

Are you a Suitable Candidate?

  • If you have moderate to severe sleep apnea with a ahi of 20 to 65
  • If you can’t use a CPAP mask and are not getting any benefit out of one when you do use one
  • If you are not severely overweight
  • Must be over the age of 22

How much does Inspire implant cost?

With something this ground-breaking, it does not come cheap. Though, it is said that most insurances do cover, or help, with the costs.

Estimated cost of Inspire sleep apnea therapy is between $20-40 thousand dollars. Yeah, ouch right! Again, this can be majorly reduced depending on insurance.

How does it stay powered?

The implant has a battery that will last from 8 – 11 years. After that 8-11 period, or whenever it stops working, the doctor will replace the battery for you.

This is awesome news because lots of people first think it is something they will have to recharge daily or weekly. That is not the case!

Does it help with snoring?

Actually, yes it does. Studies have shown that over 85% of patients have reported that their partners said they either quit snoring or was reduced to a very soft snore.

Can you feel the stimulation?

If you are awake, well of course! If you are asleep, supposedly not. The stimulating signal is very mild and can be barely felt even when you are awake.

The only thing you can feel when a signal is sent is a mild tingling sensation in the tongue muscles. Again, this should not be felt while sleeping, otherwise, you would never get any rest!

What does Snooze EZ think about it?

We have researched the Inspire sleep apnea therapy quite a bit and it really does seem like a legit option to consider if you have the money or if your insurance covers a lot of the cost.

If you really hate your cpap mask or just can’t seem to benefit from it, then this is a very viable option to consider.

It is proven to work. There is no doubt about that. This technology has been out since 2011 and after such a high success rate, it was approved by the FDA 3 years later.

If you are slightly interested, Inspire is definitely worth checking out with your doctor to get their opinion on whether you would be a good candidate or not.