Today, at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery annual meeting, ImThera Medical, Inc. unveiled its new product, the aura6000™ neurostimulation system for the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
More than 800,000 patients in the US are annually diagnosed with OSA. While Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the established therapy, studies show that only 54% of patients comply with CPAP. According to the Executive Director of the American Sleep Apnea Association, Edward Grandi, “Providing effective treatment options is important to successfully address the sleep apnea crisis. The more ways there are to successfully treat OSA, the more likely we are to reach the 20 plus million untreated patients.”
The aura6000 is based on ImThera’s Targeted Hypoglossal Neurostimulation (THN) Sleep Therapy™ delivering neurostimulation to the tongue during sleep. The system is comprised of a surgically-placed multi-contact electrode specifically designed for the hypoglossal nerve, and a wire (lead) that connects the electrode to a programmable implantable pulse generator (IPG) that is placed in the anterior chest wall. The device delivers muscle tone to key tongue muscles, preventing the tongue from collapsing into the upper airway, thus permitting normal breathing during sleep.