Breathing pauses cut by almost three-quarters for sleep apnea patients who had no device option

For people with obstructive sleep apnea whose soft palate collapses completely in sleep — a pattern called complete concentric collapse — the usual implanted nerve stimulator is not an option. A small implant called Genio, which gently stimulates the tongue nerve from both sides to keep the airway open, was tested in a US pivotal study in exactly this group. After 12 months, breathing pauses fell from an average of 33.6 to 10.4 per hour, a median drop of 74.3%, and 77.2% of patients met the study's responder bar. There were no device- or procedure-related serious side effects, and the full results, presented at the International Surgical Sleep Society meeting in Los Angeles, now go to the FDA in a bid to widen the implant's approved use.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation