eXciteOSA Daytime Treatment for Snoring and Mild Sleep Apnea

eXciteOSA is a recently FDA approved daytime treatment for patients suffering from snoring or mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) . Approved by the FDA on 2/5/21 , this device is an intra-oral neuromuscular stimulator that is used 20 minutes per day for 6 weeks followed by twice a week resulting in significant reduction in OSA and snoring scores. Keep in mind that this device only addresses OSA and snoring due to tongue collapse (as opposed to obstruction that stems from the palate or large …

3/03/2021 0

Continue Reading

Device that Allows Intubated Patients to Talk

Image by Calleamanecer in Wikipedia There is nothing worse than to be very sick. It's even worse if you are intubated in the ICU (intensive care unit) being poked and prodded constantly. Traditionally, such sick intubated patients (if alert) will communicate by writing on a clipboard which is often frustrating to not just the patient, but also family members and healthcare professionals trying to care for the patient. However, NEJM reported on the use of an electrolarynx to allow …

3/22/2014 0

Continue Reading

Hearing Protection and NRR (Noise Reduction Rating)

For all hearing protection devices from ear plugs to ear muffs, there is a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) score that informs consumers how much of a decrease in noise exposure to expect with use. For example, if an ear plug has a NRR score of 30, use of the device would be expected to reduce a 90 decibel sound by 30 decibels resulting in a noise exposure of 60 decibels. If two hearing protection devices are used, an ear plug inside the ear canal followed by ear muffs over the ear, the ultimat…

11/24/2013 0

Continue Reading

Ear Tube Placement in Kids WITHOUT Sedation (Starting at 12 Months of Age)

A recent report describes how using a relatively old technology, ear tube placement can now be performed in children starting at 12 months of age with chronic ear infections or hearing loss due to fluid buildup without the need for sedation of any kind nor aggressive restraints (ie papoose). Historically,  ear tube placement in the office without sedation is typically performed starting at around 12 years of age using standard local anesthesia techniques. Any younger, a child could not …

10/05/2013 0

Continue Reading

Compact EMG System for Targeted Muscle Injections

An EMG system ( E lectro M yo G raphy) is a critical piece of equipment when it comes to targeted muscle injections in and around the neck, especially when you cannot see or feel the muscle. This scenario is especially true when dealing with spasmodic dysphonia for which targeted botox injections are quite helpful. Given the muscles that need to be injected are contained inside the voicebox and not able to be seen and felt from outside the neck, accurate injection is quite difficult withou…

1/12/2013 1

Continue Reading

Does WaxVac or EarVac Actually Remove Earwax?

The EarVac or WaxVac  is a device that purportedly suctions out earwax . Shaped like a miniature hair dryer, one simply needs to hold it up to your ear canal in order to suction out the earwax. Recently, they have been marketing this device heavily, especially through TV commercials . Now, does it actually work??? Not really... In fact, British researchers tested it out against the humble ear curette (Jobson-Home Probe). With their test population, the WaxVac worked in exactly…

12/19/2012 2

Continue Reading

Yet Another Sinus Dilation Device - AerOS Sinus Dilation System

Sinus dilation has become all the rage in the past few years to treat chronic sinusitis , especially since CPT codes for this procedure has become available as of January 2012. The first company was Acclarent who coined the balloon sinuplasty term. Next was Entellus who produced their simpler system ( XprESS and FinESS ). Now, there is SinuSys who has produced a new way to dilate the sinus opening without use of a balloon like Acclarent and Entellus. It is currently pending FDA appro…

9/06/2012 0

Continue Reading

CPAP + Oral Appliance (All-In-One) Device for OSA

A dentist colleague of mine informed me of a new device that combines CPAP mask with an oral appliance for patients with obstructive sleep apnea ( CPAP Pro + Mandibular Advancement ). The unique benefits of this combo device are several-fold: • No straps • Keeps mouth closed • Addresses tongue collapse that obstruct the airway by bringing jaw forward • Can sleep in any position This device does need to be fitted by a dentist. (For Virginia residents, Dr. Jason Woodside is familiar…

8/17/2012 0

Continue Reading

New Medical Device to Cure Excessive Sweating

Everybody sweats, but some sweat more than others to the point where even constant anti-perspirant usage is insufficient. Beyond botox which is painful and lasts only a few months, options have been few until now... A new medical device called Miradry destroys sweat glands by heating up the junction between the second and third layer of the skin using microwave after sucking up secretions. Before the procedure, numbing injections are required. A company study shows patients who used …

6/30/2012 0

Continue Reading

New Oral Appliance for OSA (Only Needs Heat to Fit)

A new sleep apnea oral appliance can be fitted and used at home without going to a dentist called  ApneaRx ! Oral appliances to treat obstructive sleep apnea ( OSA ) have an upper and lower component that fit into the upper and lower jaws. A mechanism within the device than allows for the lower jaw to be thrust forward to some degree which pulls the tongue and anterior airway forward thereby enlarging the airway and preventing obstructive apneas during sleep. It can also help with snoring…

6/29/2012 0

Continue Reading

Doctor Distraction Happens... It's Mandatory!

I admittedly snorted out loud when I read a  New York Times article   earlier last week regarding increased physician distraction due to electronic devices, especially with the advent of the smartphone with its emails, text messages, calls, and other alerts that ping intermittently throughout a typical work day. There is no question that electronic devices distract physicians as the article pointed out... But that's like complaining about a leaky faucet when there's a flooded bas…

12/20/2011 2

Continue Reading

Woman Survives Live Grenade Lodged in Face

A 32 year old Mexican woman, Karla Flores, survived extraction of a live grenade from between her jawbones. Apparently, she was minding her own business when she was knocked out after something hit her face. Read report here . In the hospital, it was realized that rather than a stone as initially thought, it was a live grenade! Due to fear of it going off, 3 volunteer doctors and one nurse surgically removed the live grenade in an open field under direction of two explosive experts fr…

9/30/2011 0

Continue Reading

Nebulizer Treatment for Chronic Sinusitis

Many people are already aware of nebulizer treatments to help with breathing during asthma attacks and other pulmonary conditions. What many people may not be aware of is that such nebulizer treatments can also potentially be used for chronic sinus infections . One of the best known company offering such treatment is Sinus Dynamics . Using one of several different nebulizers, compounded liquid medications (antibiotics and/or steroids) selected by the physician are nebulized/atomized which…

7/15/2011 0

Continue Reading

New Anti-Snoring Device... Tongue Suction Device (TSD)

Check out a tongue suction device (aka, tongue sleeve) to help with snoring. According to the literature, the way it works is by advancing the tongue forward thereby preventing the tongue from falling backward and vibrating against the throat's back wall causing snoring as well as obstructive sleep apnea . The way the device moves the tongue forward is by literally suctioning the tongue tip into the device and holding it in place by vacuum seal. The theory behind how this device wo…

2/16/2011 0

Continue Reading

Simple Rubber Device Mimics Complex Birdsongs & Implications for Human Voice

A team of US researchers at Harvard has developed a simple rubber device composed of two pieces of rubber replicating the 'vocal tract' and a motor that replicates the action of a contracting muscle. With this device, the researchers have been able to EXACTLY mimic the birdsong of a variety of species including the bengalese finches and vireos. Given complex birdsongs have been faithfully reproduced with such a rudimentary device as shown here, it does suggest that complex neurolog…

1/02/2011 0

Continue Reading

iPods & Other Music Devices Can Cause Permanent Hearing Loss!

The Washington Post wrote up a nice article regarding the increased risk of permanent hearing loss kids these days may suffer due to listening to music devices too loudly. Such noise-induced hearing loss also increases the risk of tinnitus (ringing of the ears). The key things to easily remember to ensure proper music volume is: 1) If people around you can hear the music you are listening to, it's too loud. 2) If you can't hear what people are saying while listening to music, it&#…

7/03/2009 0

Continue Reading

Fauquier ENT Now Available on Your Phone!

Fauquier ENT has deployed a website optimized for viewing on a cell phone. In essence, it is a stripped down version of the main practice website. The web address for phone users is: www.FauquierENT.mobi Check it out here ! This blog you are reading has also been converted to a mobile version which can be found here . For those curious, the mobile website was created using MobiSiteGalore with some additional tweaks using Dreamweaver.

6/20/2009 0

Continue Reading