CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2023; 27(01): e43-e49
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1743286
Original Research

Upper Airway Stimulation in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Long-Term Surgical Success, Respiratory Outcomes, and Patient Experience

Christianne C.A.F.M. Veugen 
1   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Sint Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
2   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
3   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, UMC Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
,
Eveline Dieleman 
4   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
,
Johannes A. Hardeman
5   Department of Pulmonology, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
,
Robert J. Stokroos 
2   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
,
Marcel P. Copper 
1   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Sint Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
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Abstract

Introduction Upper airway stimulation (UAS) with electric activation of the hypoglossal nerve has emerged as a promising treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Objective To retrospectively analyze objective and subjective outcome measures after long-term follow-up in obstructive sleep apnea patients receiving upper airway stimulation.

Methods An observational retrospective single-center cohort study including a consecutive series of patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea receiving upper airway stimulation.

Results Twenty-five patients were included. The total median apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) significantly decreased from 37.4 to 8.7 events per hour at the 12-month follow-up (p < 0.001). The surgical success rate was 96%. Adverse events were reported by 28% of the patients.

Conclusion Upper airway stimulation is an effective and safe treatment for obstructive sleep apnea in patients with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) failure or intolerance. However, it is possible that the existing in and exclusion criteria for UAS therapy in the Netherlands have positively influenced our results.

Keywords

obstructive sleep apnea - hypoglossal nerve - implantable neurostimulators - electric stimulation therapy - patient satisfaction - treatment outcome

Financial Support

There was no funding received for this research.


Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Data on study subjects was collected and stored anonymously to protect personal information. This manuscript does not report on a clinical trial and, therefore, was not registered in a clinical trial registration.


Manuscript Approval

All authors declare that they have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript.


Availability of Data and Materials

The dataset is available on request from St. Antonius Hospital, The Netherlands.




Publication History

Received: 13 December 2020

Accepted: 22 August 2021

Article published online:
01 August 2022

© 2023. Fundação Otorrinolaringologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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