Siesta Medical Inc, a provider of minimally invasive surgical implants and tools for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has launched its Revolution Suture Passer, designed for use with its Encore System. With the Encore and Revolution, Siesta offers an adjustable and precisely controllable surgical system for hyoid suspension to the mandible (hyo-mandibular suspension).

Hyo-mandibular suspension is a surgical treatment for sleep apnea airway obstructions behind the tongue base. Hyo-mandibular suspension, which can be performed alone or in combination with other surgical procedures, has been shown in clinical trials to improve and save the lives of OSA sufferers, Siesta Medical says, adding that the procedure is reversible and an effective minimally invasive treatments for tongue base obstructions.

The hyoid is a horseshoe-shaped bone integrated with the airway just below the base of the tongue. Hyo-mandibular suspension works by pulling this bone forward, which broadens and stabilizes the airway.

Dr Michael Abidin, with over 20 years of sleep surgery experience, says in a release: “It seems unfortunate to me that only a handful of hyo-mandibular suspensions are performed each year. There are millions of Americans with diagnosed, symptomatic sleep apnea that do not use CPAP therapy. These people put themselves at high risk not treating their sleep apnea. Patients who get a hyo-mandibular suspension procedure feel better, snore less, and have large drops in their sleep apnea severity. Plus, it is a simple, cost effective, fully reversible procedure that can be mastered by nearly all otolaryngologists and routinely performed in about 30 minutes.”

Siesta’s Revolution Suture Passer and Encore System simplify and improve hyo-mandibular suspension. Dr Jason Van Tassel of Washington Hospital in Fremont, Calif, says: “With the Encore and Revolution in 30 minutes I can complete the exact hyo-mandibular suspension I desire for a patient. My own results have shown a tremendous therapy response, as good or better than much more invasive, complicated, or expensive interventions. Surgeons are only now beginning to understand that a hyo-mandibular suspension alone accomplishes a tremendous amount in stabilizing the airway.”