PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New device can reduce sleep apnea episodes by 70 percent, Pitt-UPMC study shows

2014-01-09
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Cristina Mestre
MestreCA@upmc.edu
412-586-9776
University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
New device can reduce sleep apnea episodes by 70 percent, Pitt-UPMC study shows

VIDEO: Ryan Soose, M.D., director of the UPMC Division of Sleep Surgery and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, explains the first clinical trial to evaluate the...
Click here for more information.

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 8, 2014 – Implantation of a sleep apnea device called Inspire® Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy can lead to significant improvements for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. After one year, patients using the device had an approximately 70 percent reduction in sleep apnea severity, as well as significant reductions in daytime sleepiness.

The multicenter, prospective Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction (STAR) trial was conducted at 22 medical centers in the United States and Europe, and is the first to evaluate the use of upper airway stimulation for sleep apnea.

OSA, which affects more than 8 million men and 4 million women in the U.S. and is twice as common in men, is characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep, due to narrowing or blockage. Patients with OSA stop breathing, known as apnea, frequently during sleep, often for a minute or longer, and over half of those with OSA are overweight. Repeated episodes of apnea can lead to daytime fatigue, and increase a person's risk for heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and even death. Treatments for OSA include weight loss, upper airway surgeries, oral appliances, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which is considered the primary treatment for OSA.

"While CPAP is a successful treatment when used on a regular basis, as many as half of the patients who have been prescribed CPAP are unable to use it regularly, largely due to discomfort with the mask and/or the lack of desire to be tethered to a machine," said Patrick Strollo, M.D., professor of medicine and clinical and translational science at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, medical director of the UPMC Sleep Medicine Center, and lead author of the study. "The results of this trial show a huge potential for a new and effective treatment that can help millions of patients."

"Inspire UAS therapy differs from other traditional sleep apnea devices and surgical procedures in that it targets the muscle tone of the throat rather than just the anatomy," noted Ryan Soose, M.D., director of the UPMC Division of Sleep Surgery and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology. "Two thirds of patients using the Inspire UAS therapy device had successful control of their OSA although even more reported improvement in snoring, daytime sleepiness and quality of life measures. Eighty-six percent of patients were still using the device every night at the one year mark, which compares very favorably to CPAP."

From 724 candidates initially screened, the STAR trial implanted and prospectively evaluated 126 moderate-to-severe OSA patients who had difficulty using or adhering to CPAP therapy: 83 percent of the participants were men, the mean age was 54.5 years, and the mean body-mass index was 28.4. All patients underwent surgery to implant the device. The device stimulates the nerve of the tongue during sleep, thereby enlarging and stabilizing the airway and improving control of breathing. Surgical implantation of the upper-airway stimulation system was performed by otolaryngologists at 22 academic and private centers, including Ryan Soose, M.D., of UPMC Ear, Nose and Throat specialists. The device was implanted in three areas: a stimulation electrode was placed on the hypoglossal nerve, which provides innervation to the muscles of the tongue; a sensing lead was placed between rib muscles to detect breathing effort; and a neurostimulator was implanted in the upper right chest, just below the clavicle bone. Patients used a "controller" to turn on the device at night, so it is only used when the patient sleeps. The Inspire UAS therapy device is designed to sense breathing patterns and deliver mild stimulation to a patient's airway muscles to keep the airway open during sleep. Using various sleep-disorder measuring systems, patients were found to experience 68 to 70 percent fewer sleep-apnea episodes per hour.

"My short-term memory has improved significantly, and the surgery has made a huge difference in my quality of life," said Kathy Gaberson, one of the study participants who used the Inspire therapy. "My apnea episodes went from 23 times an hour to just two."



INFORMATION:

This study was funded by Inspire Medical Systems.

Dr. Soose is a consultant for Inspire Medical Systems.

Co-investigators include researchers from University Hospital, Mannheim; Intersom K.ln, Cologne; Sint Lucas Hospital, Amsterdam; North Memorial Sleep Health Center, Maple Grove; Paparella Ear, Head, and Neck Institute; St. Cloud Ear, Nose, and Throat; the University of South Florida College of Medicine; the St. Petersburg Sleep Disorders Center; the University of Cincinnati; the Medical College of South Carolina, Charleston; the Medical College of Wisconsin; Antwerp University Hospital; the University of Antwerp; the Borgess Medical Center; the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center; and, Case Western Reserve University.

About the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences

The University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences include the schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the Graduate School of Public Health. The schools serve as the academic partner to the UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center). Together, their combined mission is to train tomorrow's health care specialists and biomedical scientists, engage in groundbreaking research that will advance understanding of the causes and treatments of disease and participate in the delivery of outstanding patient care. Since 1998, Pitt and its affiliated university faculty have ranked among the top 10 educational institutions in grant support from the National Institutes of Health. For additional information about the Schools of the Health Sciences, please visit http://www.health.pitt.edu.
http://www.upmc.com/media



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

SURA reports findings from data management pilot

2014-01-09
SURA reports findings from data management pilot After 11 months of review, SURA announced the findings of a collaborative project to explore the capabilities of an open source application that assists with publishing, referencing, extracting and ...

Research suggests a blood test to locate gene defects associated with cancer may not be far off

2014-01-09
Research suggests a blood test to locate gene defects associated with cancer may not be far off HOUSTON, TX - Some surprising research findings from scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center suggest it's possible a ...

Study identifies risk factors for non-fatal overdoses

2014-01-09
Study identifies risk factors for non-fatal overdoses (Boston) – Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) have identified that injection frequency and taking anti-retroviral therapy for HIV are risk ...

Quasars illuminate swiftly swirling clouds around galaxies

2014-01-09
Quasars illuminate swiftly swirling clouds around galaxies CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study of light from quasars has provided astronomers with illuminating insights into the swirling clouds of gas that form stars and galaxies, proving that the clouds ...

Fossil pigments reveal the colors of ancient sea monsters

2014-01-09
Fossil pigments reveal the colors of ancient sea monsters Unique finds of original pigment in fossilised skin from three multi-million-year old marine reptiles attract considerable attention from the scientific community. The pigment reveals that these animals were, ...

Radiocarbon dating suggests white sharks can live 70 years and longer

2014-01-09
Radiocarbon dating suggests white sharks can live 70 years and longer Adult white sharks, also known as great whites, may live far longer than previously thought, according to a new study that used radiocarbon dating to determine age estimates ...

Does ObamaCare cause psychological distress among US adults?

2014-01-09
Does ObamaCare cause psychological distress among US adults? The Affordable Care Act, dubbed 'ObamaCare', has proven to be one of the most controversial legislative acts of the Obama presidency. New research, published in Stress & Health explores the psychological relationship ...

Mass. General research could expand availability of hand, face transplants

2014-01-09
Mass. General research could expand availability of hand, face transplants Immune tolerance to grafts of muscle, bone and skin could free recipients from lifelong immunosuppression Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have made an important ...

Vikings and superheroes: How interconnected characters may reveal the reality behind the stories

2014-01-08
Vikings and superheroes: How interconnected characters may reveal the reality behind the stories The Icelandic sagas of the Norse people are thousand-year-old chronicles of brave deeds and timeless romances, but how true to Viking life were they? Writing in Significance, Pádraig ...

Increased risk of prostate cancer in African-American men; implications for PSA screening

2014-01-08
Increased risk of prostate cancer in African-American men; implications for PSA screening New Rochelle, NY, January 7, 2014—African American men have an increased risk of prostate cancer and are two times more likely than Caucasian American ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Robotic space rovers keep getting stuck. UW engineers have figured out why

New research shows how immigration status can become a death sentence during public health crisis

University of Toronto Engineering researchers develop safer alternative non-stick coating

Good vibrations: Scientists use imaging technology to visualize heat

More ecological diversity means better nutritional resources in Fiji’s agroforests

New global study shows freshwater is disappearing at alarming rates

Scientists create an artificial cell capable of navigating its environment using chemistry alone

A little salt is good for battery health

Deep-sea fish confirmed as a significant source of ocean carbonate

How to keep kids with eating disorders home after hospital stay? Therapy

Sex differences affect efficacy of opioid overdose treatment

Aligning AI with Human Values and Well-Being

Engineering the next generation of experimental physics

The scuba diving industry is funding marine ecosystem conservation and employing locals

BATMAN brings TCR therapy out of the shadows

Surrogates more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness, study finds

Columbia Engineering researchers turn dairy byproduct into tissue repair gel

Global estimates of lives and life-years saved by COVID-19 vaccination during 2020-2024

Potential trade-offs of proposed cuts to the NIH

New research simulates cancer cell behavior

COVID, over 2.5 million deaths prevented worldwide thanks to vaccines. One life saved for every 5,400 doses administered

Scuba diving generates up to $20 billion annually

Scientists advance efforts to create ‘virtual cell lab’ as testing ground for future research with live cells

How DNA packaging controls the “genome’s guardian”

Simplified models, deeper insights: Coarse-grained models unlock new potential for ionic liquid simulations

Gorillas’ personal circumstances shape their aggression towards groupmates

Which signalling pathways in the cell lead to possible therapies for Parkinson's disease

Identifying landslide threats using hydrological predictors

First graders who use more educational media spend more time reading

Exploring the meaning in life through phenomenology and philosophy

[Press-News.org] New device can reduce sleep apnea episodes by 70 percent, Pitt-UPMC study shows