Henry Ford to conduct Apnex HGNS System clinical trial in OSA

A clinical trial is underway at Henry Ford Hospital to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Apnex® Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation (HGNS®) System to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Henry Ford is the only medical facility in Michigan, and among the first in the country, to participate in this study.

The Apnex HGNS System is a surgically implanted medical device that activates muscles of the upper airway to ensure that the airway remains open during sleep. While asleep, the system monitors the patient's breathing and delivers mild stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve, which controls the tongue. As the nerve is stimulated, the tongue gently moves forward to keep the airway open.

The stimulation is timed to a patient's own breathing pattern. The device automatically turns on when the patient is sleeping, and turns off when the patient is awake.

"Some people with obstructive sleep apnea are unable to tolerate existing therapies, such as continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP," says study co-principal investigator Kathleen L. Yaremchuk, M.D., chair of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital.

"The HGNS System provides a new approach to the treatment, and this study will help us further understand what role this device could have in treating the millions of people who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea."