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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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