A groundbreaking sleep apnea treatment, Nyxoah’s Genio implant, has been approved in the UK. This device zaps the nerves in the tongue to help sufferers breathe better overnight. The procedure is an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (Cpap) machines and can be controlled by a smartphone app.
Sleep apnoea causes breathing to stop repeatedly during sleep and is thought to affect about 8 million people in the UK. It is a common sleep disorder that can have serious consequences on one’s health.
The most common form – obstructive sleep apnoea – happens when the walls of the throat relax and narrow or close, with symptoms including choking noises, loud snoring and waking up a lot.
A new tongue-stimulating implant called Nyxoah’s Genio has been approved in the UK. This device zaps the nerves in the tongue to help sufferers breathe better overnight. The procedure involves making a 6cm incision below the chin and using a microscope to pinpoint the nerves that make the tongue protrude.
The stimulator is controlled by an external chip that is stuck to the chin using an adhesive patch before the patient goes to sleep. During the day, the patch can be removed and the chip recharged, while patients are able to adjust the level of stimulation and monitor their sleep on a smartphone app.
Patients eligible for the implants must have moderate to very severe sleep apnoea, a body mass index of below 35, and must have tried using a Cpap machine. The implant is an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (Cpap) machines, which can be uncomfortable.
University College London Hospitals NHS foundation trust (UCLH) has become the first centre in the UK to offer sleep apnoea patients a choice of nerve stimulators – the Genio or Inspire implant. Consultant ENT and sleep surgeon Ryan Chin Taw Cheong said: “I’m very optimistic about the way things are moving, and I’m hoping that we will be able to make this technology and make this implant more available for the right patients.”
One of the two patients who received the implant, Natalie Boller, 63, was feeling better within days. She told the PA Media news agency she was looking forward to being more active, something her tiredness has prevented.
In a UK first, patients with moderate to very severe sleep apnoea have been fitted with an app-controlled device called Nyxoah’s Genio implant. This device zaps the nerves in the tongue to help sufferers breathe better overnight. The three-hour procedure was carried out by medics at University College London Hospitals NHS foundation trust (UCLH) this month.
