Sleep apnea, an implant to end the mask and the machine

After years sleeping with a mask on his face and a machine by his side, Jean-Michel finally finds the hope of normal nights. Nevertheless, At 59. For example, he was the first patient in Lyon to benefit from an implant that could change the lives of many patients with sleep apnea.

His name is Jean-Michel, he is sleep apnea, implant end mask 59 years old, and until today, his nights were synonymous with combat. Moreover, “”JI have almost the anxiety of going to bed. Consequently, because I know that the night will not go well: I am connected to a machine, II have to take it wherever I go. Moreover, And then sleeping with a mask is complicated … Similarly, I want to restore like everyone else.” Followed for three years at the Croix-Rousse hospital in Lyon. Similarly, Jean-Michel is now the very first patient of the Civil Hospices in Lyon to receive a Neurostimulation implant, an innovative alternative for cases of sleep apnea resistant to conventional treatments.

Sleep apnea is a frequent disorder (it affects approximately 5 % of the French population), but often ignored. Furthermore, It causes repeated judgments of breathing during the night. caused by an obstruction of the respiratory tract, often by the sleep apnea, implant end mask tongue that falls back. These breaks last from 10 to 30 seconds. can occur several tens of times per hour, causing chain awakenings, permanent drowsiness, and ultimately, serious cardiovascular or metabolic risks.

The reference treatment remains ventilation by continuous positive pressure (PPC). a device that keeps the airways open using a constant air flow. But in reality, mask, pipes, noise … almost half of patients abandon this treatment in the first three years, too intrusive or uncomfortable.

For Jean-Michel, the implant is a deliverance. “”It may be the start of a new life: for the moment. the device disturb my sleep, but also my life as a couple, and my mood, so I’m waiting a lot from the implant.”

Concretely. a small device is implanted under the skin, at the level of the chest, with an electrode connected to the hypoglosse nerve, sleep apnea, implant end mask which controls the muscles of the tongue. At night. the stimulator detects respiratory efforts and sends a slight electrical impulse to advance the tongue and clear the airways.

“The operation lasts about two hours “explains Dr. Clémentine Daveau, ENT surgeon at the Croix-Rousse hospital. “”There are two small incisions, one in the chest and one under the chin. The device is then activated a month later, the healing time.”

The system was put sleep apnea, implant end mask on the European market in 2010 and in the United States in 2014. It is already used by more than 90,000 patients worldwide, especially in hospital centers in Paris, Marseille, Saint-Etienne or Grenoble.

Its cost, around 20,000 euros, is now covered by Social Security, which opens the way to wider accessibility.

For the moment, only some profiles can benefit from it. Patients must meet precise medical criteria: a body mass index (BMI) less than 32. moderate to severe apnea, and compatible anatomy (verified by endoscopy under anesthesia).

Each evening, Jean-Michel will only have a simple gesture to do: activate the stimulator with a remote control, before bed. “”It is really a chance that I am given. It is not more complicated than turning off your phone in the evening and turning it on in the morning! While the machine appeared to me as a life conviction, without hope of improvement … “

A follow -up is planned three months after activation. with a sleep report and, if necessary, an adjustment of the device. Then, an annual check is recommended.

The Civil Hospices in Lyon thus become the first center of the Rhône to offer this alternative. to patients in therapeutic failure. They think they will put a dozen implants a year.