New device to treat sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is traditionally treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine during sleep. However, this type of device is often difficult for patients to tolerate, and is eventually abandoned. A new neurostimulation device could be a new option for these patients.

Sleep apnea 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝟒% of the French population. This disorder causes transient 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, from 10 to over 100 times a night, depending on the patient. These breathing interruptions lead to 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨-𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 in order to resume breathing. The main consequences are 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, leading to an 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 on the road or at work, noisy snoring and a high risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. CPAP machines are 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, which generally limits compliance with this treatment.

A new system, called Genio, offers an alternative to CPAP by 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞, which innervates the tongue muscles. Stimulation of this nerve 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬, preventing the tongue from blocking the upper airway. Implantation is via an incision under the chin, and the system is controlled by a chip activated by an adhesive patch worn overnight.

This implant received CE marking in 2019 and is approved for use in Europe. Although its effectiveness may be diminished in severely obese patients, the 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 and could truly 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐩𝐧𝐞𝐚 in the years to come!