Inspire Medical Systems, Minneapolis, recently announced that its STAR (Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction) trial, evaluating both the safety and effectiveness of Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy in patients who suffer from moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is now under way at nine medical centers in the United States and four sites in Europe. In addition, several OSA patients have already been implanted with Inspire therapy in the STAR trial.
Sleep Medicine Associates of Texas completed their first implant of Inspire therapy in the STAR trial this spring.
Inspire’s UAS therapy is an implantable therapy designed to deliver physiologically timed, mild stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve on each breathing cycle. The stimulation is intended to restore tone to the muscles that control the base of the tongue, preventing the tongue from collapsing and obstructing the airway. Inspire’s therapy does not require removing or permanently altering a patient’s facial or airway anatomy.
