I see patients all the time who are coming in for the first time to see someone for an evaluation of snoring and possible sleep apnea.  After I explain what sleep apnea is and order a sleep study, they almost always have a few questions: If I have sleep apnea, what are my treatment options?… Read more »

The 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery was just held in Dallas from September 27-30.  Although I typically give several talks related to sleep apnea surgery, whether focused on drug-induced sleep endoscopy or sleep apnea procedures related to the Palate Region or Tongue Region, one of the most enjoyable and interesting parts… Read more »

Surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea depends on determining where blockage of breathing is occurring during sleep, whether in the Nasal, Palate, or Tongue Regions that I outline on my main website: sleep-doctor.com.  Often an individual will have more than one of these Regions involved, leading to my recommendation of a combination of surgical procedures…. Read more »

I have written extensively on this blog and my main website that there is no single surgery for sleep apnea and snoring.  The recurring theme is that different treatments work differently in different patients, meaning that a cookie-cutter approach to sleep apnea surgery is doomed to failure.  Even with our best efforts to apply this… Read more »

Sleep surgeons are always looking for ways to achieve consistent, predictable results.  Our best efforts use a combination of careful patient examination, precise surgical technique, and constant reflection and experience.  While we have seen major advances in surgical techniques and treatments, I would argue that we have just as much to offer in the improvements… Read more »

Sleep is increasingly being recognized for its importance in health and quality of life.  In fact, in March 2015 the US Department of Health and Human Services published Health Objectives 2020, identifying the goal of increasing the proportion of adults who obtain sufficient sleep.  Numerous studies have examined the association between sleep duration (the number… Read more »

  I had the opportunity to participate in the American Thoracic Society 2015 meeting over the past few days as part of two sessions: a day-long course on the connection between anesthesia and sleep (especially obstructive sleep apnea) and a symposium on personalized medicine for sleep apnea.  My talks focused on the personalized medicine approach to… Read more »

Many medical treatments have high initial costs but are considered worthwhile expenses because of the benefits, both direct (improved health and quality of life) and indirect (decreased healthcare spending from avoidance of complications).  For treatments such as kidney dialysis, cardiac pacemakers, and organ transplantation, we as a society are willing to pay for treatments with… Read more »

My previous blog post briefly discussed the International Surgical Sleep Society, the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to the surgical evaluation and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring.  Founded in 2006, the ISSS has organized six scientific meetings to bring together experts in sleep surgery from around the world, facilitating the sharing of experiences and ideas… Read more »

The subspecialty of snoring and sleep apnea surgery is relatively young, and people ask me all the time how I was drawn to the field.  I was fortunate enough to have my own interest sparked as a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania.  As medical students, we were all a little sleep-deprived (and more… Read more »