Obstructive sleep apnea and snoring are commonly worse when someone is sleeping on the back compared to sleeping on their side or stomach.  One clue may be the sharp elbows that are used to nudge someone to roll onto their side instead of sleeping on their back.  In some cases, the differences that occur with… Read more »

  Inspire Medical’s Upper Airway Stimulation technology is a powerful (no pun intended) addition to the array of options for individuals suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.  As a surgeon who implants this therapy, I see patients (whether my own or those coming for a second opinion) where Upper Airway Stimulation is not working well.  While… Read more »

Snoring is common, with estimates suggesting that it affects 100 million adults (and anyone bothered by that snoring) in the United States alone.  Whenever I share what I do at work, there is a pause before that person either volunteers that they have been told they snore or mention that they want me to meet… Read more »

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy is a surgical evaluation technique that can be used to evaluate patients considering surgery or oral appliances for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.  The approach was developed in a number of center in Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but the techniques have been refined over time. Drug-induced sleep endoscopy has… Read more »

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy is one of the most common topics on which I give lectures to other physicians around the world.  Although I like to think that my words are so thoughtful and insightful, I know that the real highlights of these talks are the drug-induced sleep endoscopy videos I show as part of the… Read more »

Our 2018 Advanced in Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea and Snoring course was just held in San Francisco, and I wanted to share some of the highlights.  I truly enjoy being a co-director of this course, as we have an outstanding faculty from whom I always learn a temendous amount.  They deliver updated lectures on… Read more »

One of the most unique parts of my work as a physician/surgeon is my interaction with medical devices companies focused on the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring.  My research on the selection of procedures for snoring and sleep apnea is directly relevant to these companies because there are many reasons why obstructive sleep apnea… Read more »

Earlier this month, the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery held their 2017 Annual Meeting (AAO-HNS 2017) in Chicago.  Sleep surgery again was featured prominently in the program.  Aside from the International Surgical Sleep Society conferences, the AAO-HNS meetings have the largest number of sessions related to sleep surgery.  My own schedule was fairly… Read more »

My experience and many research studies indicate that most patients with obstructive sleep apnea have what is often called multilevel obstruction. This term refers to blockage of breathing in both the Palate Region and the Tongue Region. Choosing the right sleep apnea surgery is based on careful evaluation of an individual patient and then weighing the risks and benefits of… Read more »

With the explosion in interest in sleep surgery has come the need to improve training opportunities in this field.  Sleep surgery encompasses the surgical evaluation and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring, and it is like anything in life: the more experience you have, the more likely it is that you will develop expertise…. Read more »