KEARNEY, Nebraska (KSNB) – There is now a new way to treat sleep apnea, and CHI Health Good Samaritan is offering that solution. It’s called Inspire, and it’s designed to help people with sleep apnea get a better night’s sleep.
Sleep apnea affects millions of Americans and billions of people around the world. Inspire is an alternative for those who can’t use CPAP. Inspire is surgically inserted and the procedure takes 20 minutes on an outpatient basis. Inspire works by pushing the tongue forward and opening the airway while you sleep. Doctors have said Inspire has helped patients.
“We activated the Inspire device for patients who cannot tolerate CPAP and are experiencing symptoms such as daytime sleepiness, not feeling rested, and it is affecting their personal and professional life,” said Dr. Meenakshi Ghosh, a pulmonologist at CHI Health.
Dr. Ghosh said these patients have had better sleep quality since using Inspire. This is the first year CHI Good Samaritan has offered Inspire, and it is the first hospital in central Nebraska to do so.
Dr. Ghosh said there is a screening process to determine whether patients are a candidate for Inspire: failure or intolerance of CPAP and a sleep study. She adds: “Inspire does not affect the nerves in the body.”
“You’ll just feel a pulling sensation, not a shock sensation,” Dr. Ghosh said. “Again, you can think of it like muscles, a person who has never worked out before and goes to a gym. So it’s an adjustment period, so over time you get used to the feeling.”
Dr. Ghosh said there is a four-week recovery period after surgery, after which Inspire will be activated and fully customizable to the user.
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