Skin implant device to prevent sleep apnea

In patients with sleep apnea (including those at high risk for being overweight or obese, having narrow airways or large tongues), the neck muscles cannot keep the airways clear, so their breathing often interrupted many times during the night . Poor sleep makes people tired, lethargic and contribute to other diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, memory problems.

The usual solution for doctors is to ask the patient to bring a continuous positive pressure breathing machine (CPAP) at night, to help blow air into the throat to keep the airway open. But the reality is that many people feel uncomfortable when using this device. Therefore, a skin implant with the function of stimulating nerves to help clear airways promises to benefit people with sleep apnea - a disease that often affects men.

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine recently, the team from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center showed that positive results from a device that helps expand the airway by using electrical impulses stimulating hypoglossal nerves located under the tongue. Users just need to turn on the device before going to bed to be assured because the airway will be clear throughout the night.

In a one-year phase-1 trial, 126 people (mostly male) implanted devices showed an average of 68% reduction in their apnea hourly, thereby improving their quality of life. The second phase of the study focused on 46 patients who continued using the device or stopped using them for a week. As a result, people who stopped using the device said they had a three-hour average breath interruption - something experts say is enough to prove how useful the device is.

The device is manufactured by Inspire Company and is being tested by the US Food and Drug Administration before its market launch. The team said it may not replace the use of CPAP masks completely, but would be an alternative to patients choosing when to treat.