Criteria for INSPIRE Pacemaker to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Due to effective marketing, I have had more and more patients inquire about the INSPIRE sleep therapy to treat and potentially cure obstructive sleep apnea so that CPAP would not be needed.

First off, our office does not perform this procedure which requires implanting a pacemaker in the chest wall (see image). It works by stimulating the tongue muscle in time with inhalation to prevent the tongue from falling back and obstructing the airway leading to sleep apnea.

For those interested, there are specific criteria that must be met in order to be considered a surgical candidate.

1) Must be 18 years or older

2) On the sleep study report, the AHI score must be 15 - 65.

3) On the sleep study report, there must be fewer than 25% central apneas.

4) Patient must report is unable to tolerate CPAP therapy.

5) There must not be any concentric airway collapse at the palate level (determined on sedated endoscopy)
6) BMI must be less than 32.

Patients must also be made aware that even if they meet surgical criterias, some insurance companies will not cover as it may be considered experimental.

Although any ENT doctor can determine whether a patient meets INSPIRE surgical criteria, only a few ENT doctors are trained to perform this procedure.

You can find the closest ENT doctor who can perform this surgery here.