Implanted device found to help in central sleep apnoea

06 Sep 2016

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An implanted device could significantly improve symptoms in people with central sleep apnoea - a condition in which the brain fails to control breathing during sleep, a new study has found.

"Central sleep apnoea (CSA) is a serious concern because it affects about a third of people with heart failure and it is known to make the condition worse," said William Abraham, from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Centre.

"Currently, we don't have good treatments available. Positive airway pressure devices have been used, but many patients don't tolerate them well and a recent study showed them to be harmful," said Abraham.

The safety and effectiveness of a transvenous phrenic nerve stimulator was tested by the researchers in 31 hospitals in the US, Germany and Poland.

The device sends a regular signal telling the diaphragm to breathe during sleep.

The device was implanted in 151 patients and during the first six months of evaluation, 68 devices were activated for treatment, while 73 were left inactive as the control group.

All patients were given neurostimulation treatment between six and 12 months of follow-up.

The device was found to reduce CSA events per hour at six month evaluation by half or more for 35 of the 68 members (51 per cent) of the treatment group.

Only eight (11 per cent) of those in the control group achieved the same reduction.

''Not only did we see this reduction in events per hour, the patients also rated themselves better on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (meaning they were less sleepy during the day) and on a global assessment of their overall quality of life,'' Abraham said.

''This tells us the effects of neurostimulation are clinically relevant and this could be a promising therapy for those with central sleep apnoea,'' he added.

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