If you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), your doctor may suggest an implanted device called a hypoglossal nerve stimulator (HGNS) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Combining these treatments can improve your quality of life while keeping both heart and brain healthy.
Inspire upper airway stimulation system consists of an impulse generator implanted beneath the clavicle (collar bone) and a tunneled breath-sensing lead between external and intercostal muscles. When inspiration occurs, this leads triggers the impulse generator to send a signal via its stimulation electrode to the hypoglossal nerve.
Your surgeon will implant the implanted device in your upper chest, just beneath the skin. This includes a generator, breathing sensor and stimulation electrode.
The generator sends an electrical impulse to the breathing sensor, which in turn sends a signal to the stimulation electrode. This stimulation stimulates your hypoglossal nerve and causes your tongue to move forward, improving breathing and making it easier for you to get some shut-eye at night.
When you're asleep, a breath-sensing lead placed between external and internal intercostal muscles detects your breathing. This leads coordinates with a pulse generator's stimulation of muscles between expiration and inspiration to reduce neuromuscular fatigue.
Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of HGNS for people with moderate to severe OSA, and it significantly reduces apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) scores -- which measure how often breathing cessation or reduction events occur during sleep -- which measure breathlessness during rest. Contact Inspire Medical Systems for more information.
