Have you been diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) but found that CPAP therapy just doesn’t work for you? There may be an alternative solution to help relieve your sleep apnea symptoms.

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) occurs when the soft tissue in your airway collapses during sleep, blocking oxygen from reaching your brain. The brain detects the lack of oxygen and briefly wakes you up to breathe. This cycle repeats throughout the night, preventing you from getting the quality sleep you need. If left untreated, OSA can lead to serious health complications.

Inspire

Inspire® therapy for obstructive sleep apnea

There are several treatment options for sleep apnea. CPAP therapy is the most commonly used, but it’s not effective for everyone. Other options include oral appliances and surgeries that alter the anatomy.

Inspire therapy is a surgical procedure that offers a mask-free solution for those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who have struggled with CPAP. Through a simple-to-use system including the Inspire® implant, remote and app, Inspire therapy enables you to control your OSA treatment from the palm of your hand.

How Inspire® therapy works

Inspire therapy is the only FDA-approved obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) therapy that works comfortably2 inside your body.
The small Inspire® implant delivers gentle pulses to your airway muscles to keep your airway open so you can breathe regularly and sleep soundly.

  • When we sleep, our airway muscles and tongue relax. For people with OSA, the tongue relaxes into a position that blocks the airway.
  • When your airway is blocked you get less oxygen to your brain, triggering you to wake up to take a breath. This cycle happens repeatedly, preventing quality sleep.
  • The Inspire implant delivers gentle pulses that move your tongue out of the way each time you take a breath, keeping your airway open while you sleep soundly. No mask or hose required.

Inspire® therapy Effectiveness

Does Inspire therapy really work? Inspire is a safe and effective therapy with 10 years of FDA approval. According to recent studies:

  • 90% of bed partners reported no snoring or soft snoring
  • 91% of people are satisfied with Inspire therapy
  • Patients had a 79% reduction in sleep apnea events
  • 94% of patients say Inspire therapy is better than CPAP and would recommend it to others
Inspire Therapy

Insurance Coverage

Most insurance plans—including Medicare, Veterans Affairs (VA) and major commercial carriers—cover Inspire therapy for those who have tried and struggled with CPAP.

To be a candidate for Inspire therapy, you must meet the following FDA indications:

  • Age 18 or older
  • Diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea
  • Have tried and struggled with CPAP

Inspire therapy has been clinically tested for people with a body mass index (BMI) up to 40. Over 90% of U.S. adults are within this range. Most insurance policies have a BMI policy in place for Inspire therapy coverage

Ready to find out more?

To learn more about Inspire and determine if it is appropriate for you, request a sleep consultation with Dr. Santamaria today. Call or text our office at 281-357-5678 to get started.