This is a breakthrough that revolutionizes the care of patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). What is it about? “It is an implant to stimulate the tongue during sleep” summarizes Laure Allali, face and neck surgeon and specialist in sleep apnea at the Laveran military hospital in Marseille. This new medical device could improve the care of the approximately 10% of people affected, in France, by this pathology.
Breathing disorder during sleep, this syndrome is due to obstruction of the upper airways which results in episodes of decreased breathing (we then speak of hypopnea) or, more serious, pause in breathing (apnea). Nocturnal episodes of varying length and more or less frequency. Concerning apnea, it becomes pathological, therefore serious, when it lasts more than ten seconds and when it occurs more than five times per hour. We speak of moderate OSAS when the frequency rises to between 15 and 30 events per hour, and of severe syndrome when it is beyond 30 events per hour.
“The effect is immediate, the tongue is pushed forward”
The consequences of this disrupted sleep can be serious. The patient sleeps poorly without realizing it, does not recover and wakes up feeling tired. During the day, he may fall asleep without warning, in the office, or even at the wheel of his car while driving…”Cardiovascular risks are multiplied by five.”
-Since December, two patients of Dr Allali have been able to benefit from this surgery carried out at the Laveran hospital, the only hospital in the south authorized to perform this procedure involving the installation of a pacemaker in the thorax.
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