Sleep Disorder Treatments From Medtronic

Sleep Disorder Treatments

For obstructive sleep apnea or snoring, Medtronic offers innovative solutions to help you treat your patient's sleep-disordered breathing.

Summary

About Sleep Disorder Treatments

Around 70 million Americans have sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea and snoring.^1,2 Studies link sleep deficiency to multiple comorbidities in adults, including heart disease and stroke,^1,3-5 as well as an increased risk of car crashes, work-related accidents, and diminished job performance.^1,3-6 In children, obstructive sleep apnea can significantly affect behavior and learning ability.^5-7 Yet most people with sleep disorders are undiagnosed.^1,3 Medtronic offers numerous innovative solutions to help you treat your patients with sleep-disordered breathing.

For Loose Soft Palates

The Pillar Procedure, an in-office snoring and sleep apnea treatment

Pillar Procedure

Studies suggest that the soft palate is involved in more than 80% of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea patients.^8,9 The Pillar^® Procedure is an in-office treatment for adults with snoring and mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. In this office-based procedure, you insert 3 tiny polyester implants into the soft palate using a special tool. The implant's surface texture encourages natural fibrotic response and tissue ingrowth to anchor and connect the pillars. This structural support and stiffening helps reduce the tissue vibration that can cause snoring.

View a 3D animation of our Pillar Procedure (3:14, 256 KB).

For Tongue- and Hyoid-Based Obstructions

The AIRvance™ Tongue and Hyoid Suspension System* may be used for two surgical treatments, each of which requires about 30 minutes to perform.

AIRvance Tongue Suspension

The objective of the AIRvance Tongue Suspension procedure is to advance and stabilize the genioglossus muscle. This prevents it from falling back and occluding the airway when the patient is supine and asleep, thus helping prevent obstructive sleep apnea and/or snoring. During the procedure, you implant a small titanium screw with attached sutures in the lower mandible, then loop the sutures through the tongue to form a hammock that suspends the tongue.

View an animated surgical video of tongue suspension (3:35, 21.7 MB) using our AIRvance System for obstructive sleep apnea.

For Hypopharyngeal Obstructions

AIRvance Hyoid Suspension

The AIRvance Hyoid Suspension procedure is designed to help improve airway patency by providing anterior/posterior and lateral support of the lower airway, as well as lateral support of the tongue base. This is accomplished by advancing and suspending the hyoid bone and associated musculature to treat obstructive sleep apnea and/or snoring. During the procedure, you implant two small titanium screws with attached sutures in the lower mandible, and loop the sutures around the hyoid bone to suspend it.

View an animated surgical video of hyoid suspension (4:10, 25.0 MB) using our AIRvance System for obstructive sleep apnea.

For Inferior Turbinate Obstructions

Inferior Turbinate Blades

If your patient's sleep disorder is caused by inferior turbinate deformity or hypertrophy, choose our patented Inferior Turbinate Blades and Straightshot^® M4 Microdebrider for powered inferior turbinoplasty. These products can help you reduce inferior turbinate volume while preserving mucosa and avoiding unpredictable damage to surrounding tissue. Clinical studies demonstrate significantly better long-term results and a reduced risk of complications.^10-15

View a surgical video of powered inferior turbinoplasty (2:35, 9.8 MB).

For Tonsil or Adenoid Obstructions

Obstructive sleep apnea is now the most common reason children have their tonsils and adenoids removed. You can reduce excess tonsil and adenoid tissue using our Straightshot M4 Microdebrider and PITA™ Blades.

PITA (Powered Intracapsular Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy) Blades

The PITA technique leaves the tonsillar capsule intact

Using the PITA technique, you can remove tonsil and adenoid tissue more precisely and effectively, without damaging delicate throat muscles. That's why this method is associated with less postoperative pain, a faster recovery, and fewer postoperative complications.^16-19

Studies show:

Most patients recover faster with fewer complications from the PITA method^16,18,19
Patients returned to normal activity in 2.1 days after a PITA procedure¹⁹
Delayed hemorrhage was reduced from 3.4% to 1.1% with PITA method¹⁸
Hospital treatment for pain or dehydration decreased from 5.4% to 3.0% with PITA technique¹⁸

See our ENT Product Catalog for blade measurements and ordering information.

*As of August 2011 the Repose^® brand was changed to AIRvance.

References

Brain Facts, A Primer on the Brain and Nervous System. Society for Neuroscience, 2008.
Cleveland Clinic. Health Information: Sleep Disorders. Accessed February 10, 2010.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Diseases and Conditions – Sleep Apnea. Accessed February 10, 2010.
Sleep Apnea. Am Fam Phys 2005; 72(7):1319-20.
National Sleep Foundation: ABCs of ZZZZs. Accessed February 10, 2010.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Sleep Disorders Information: Problem Sleepiness in Your Patient. Accessed February 10, 2010.
Chan J, Edman JC, Koltai PJ. Obstructive sleep apnea in children. Am Fam Phys 2004; 69(5):1147-54.
Katsantonis GP, Moss K, Miyazaki S et al. Determining the site of airway collapse in obstructive sleep apnea with airway pressure monitoring. Laryngoscope 1993; 103:1126-1131.
Quinn, SJ, Daly, N, Ellis PD. Observation of the mechanism of snoring using sleep nasoendoscopy, Clinical Otolaryngology 1995:20(4);360-6.
Liu C-M, Tan C-D, Lee F-P, Lin K-N, Huang H-M. Microdebrider-assisted versus radiofrequency-assisted inferior turbinoplasty. Laryngoscope 2009;119:414-8.
Berger G, Ophir D, Pitaro K, Landsberg R. Histopathological changes after Coblation^® inferior turbinate reduction. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2008;134:819-23.
Lee JY, Lee JD. Comparative study on the long-term effectiveness between Coblation- and microdebrider-assisted partial turbinoplasty. Laryngoscope 2006;116:729-34.
Huang TW, Cheng P. Changes in nasal resistance and quality of life after endoscopic microdebrider-assisted inferior turbinoplasty in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2006; 132: 990-993.
Sacks R, Thornton MA, Boustred RN. Modified endoscopic turbinoplasty — long-term results compared to submucosal electrocautery and submucosal powered turbinoplasty. Presented at: American Rhinologic Society Spring Meeting; May 13–16, 2005; Boca Raton, FL.
Atef A, Mosleh M, El Bosraty H, El Fatah GA, Fathi A. Bipolar radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction of inferior turbinate: Does the number of treatment sessions influence the final outcome? Am J Rhinol 2006; 20: 25-31.
Derkay CS, Darrow DH, Welch C, Sinacori J. Post-tonsillectomy morbidity and quality of life in pediatric patients with obstructive tonsils and adenoid: microdebrider vs electrocautery. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2006; Jan; 134(1):114-20.
Koltai PJ, Solares CA, Mascha EJ, Xu M. Intracapsular partial tonsillectomy for tonsillar hypertrophy in children. Laryngoscope 2002;112:17-19.
Schmidt R, Herzog A, Cook S, O'Reilly R, Deutsch E, Reilly J. Complications of tonsillectomy. A comparison of techniques. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2007;133:925-8.
Bitar MA, Rameh C. Microdebrider-assisted partial tonsillectomy: short- and long-term outcomes. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2008;265(4):459-463.