New sleep apnea treatment at Lima Memorial

LIMA — Lima Memorial Health System has started offering an alternative sleep apnea treatment for patients who cannot tolerate CPAP machines.

The remote-controlled device—which is implanted into the chest like a pacemaker—regulates a person’s breathing while they sleep by stimulating their airways, so oxygen flows naturally.

“Just like a pacemaker, you’re not really aware of it after a while,” said Dr. Fadi Abbass, an ENT specialist at Lima Memorial Health System, who said the outpatient surgery is typically completed within two to three hours, allowing patients to go home the same day.

The device is activated about two to three weeks after surgery, Abbass said, after which patients can use a remote to turn the stimulator on before they go to sleep, no mask needed.

Lima Memorial started offering the Inspire sleep apnea treatment, which Abbass described as a “lifetime implant,” earlier this year.

While CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure therapy, remains the standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, Abbass said some patients cannot tolerate CPAP or find the treatment ineffective, which can in turn cause physical and mental health complications due to inadequate sleep if the affliction goes untreated.

”It’s exciting because it gives us an option for people who have difficulty with CPAP,” Abbass said.