Guy's introduces Pioneering Sleep Apnoea Treatment
Guy’s and St Thomas’ has reported becoming the first NHS trust in the UK to use a pioneering implant device to treat a man’s severe sleep apnoea.
The condition, which causes breathing to stop and start while you sleep, can lead to more serious problems, such as heart disease, if left untreated.
Often, it can be treated by lifestyle changes but for some people, it's necessary to use a continuous positive airway pressure device (a CPAP machine) that gently pumps air into a mask worn over the mouth or nose while sleeping.
Matthias Winker, from Reading, was one of the first patients to receive hypoglossal nerve stimulation at Guy’s and St Thomas’ to treat the condition. He had suffered with severe sleep apnoea for more than four years and found conventional treatments unsuccessful.
The 40-year-old said: “Without using a CPAP machine I was having over 40 episodes an hour and would stop breathing for up to 45 seconds at a time. This major disturbance in sleep meant I didn’t feel myself, and left me tired and with low energy throughout the day. The CPAP helped to mitigate the sleep apnoea but wearing a mask for the next four decades didn’t fill me with joy and is inconvenient when traveling.
“In the long term I was at higher risk of having a stroke and heart disease, and a generally poorer quality of life. My wife was really worried and encouraged me to look into other treatment options.”
Hypoglossal nerve stimulation involves implanting an Inspire upper airway stimulation device under the skin in the chest with a lead that goes under the chin.
The device delivers breath-synchronised mild stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve that controls the movement of the tongue and other key airway muscles, allowing the airway to stay open during sleep. It is controlled by a small handheld sleep remote, which the patient turns on before bed and off in the morning when they wake up.
Nothing is visible externally and the implant looks similar to a pacemaker, around the size of two 50p coins.
More than 25,000 implants have been fitted worldwide, with three patients having the device fitted at Guy’s and St Thomas’. The Trust plans to offer the treatment to more people.
Mr Yakubu Karagama, consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon and laryngologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “Sleep is very important for physical and mental health and general wellbeing so it’s essential that we are able to help patients with sleep apnoea.
“This treatment isn’t suitable for everyone and many people will benefit from proven, conventional treatments such as a CPAP machine. In a small group of patients who have moderate to severe sleep apnoea, where other treatments have failed, this new device could be a solution. I’m delighted that it is making a huge difference for our patients, and that Matthias has seen such positive results.”
