Nashville, TN was the site of both the 2023 International Surgical Sleep Society (ISSS) Educational Symposium and American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting. It is always wonderful to see colleagues and long-time friends. However, I wanted to take the chance to share some of what I found to be… Read more »

In the United States and many other countries, obstructive sleep apnea surgery is generally considered a second-line therapy for patients who do not tolerate or benefit from positive airway pressure therapy (for example, continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP). This is based on two arguments: Surgery clearly has greater risks than CPAP Surgery does not… Read more »

I have written previously on this blog about our research highlighting the extremely low quality of published “systematic reviews” and “meta-analyses” in the otolaryngology and sleep surgery literature. We have shown that many studies do not adhere to established, accepted research methods for these studies, creating a dangerous situation where publications that pretend to be… Read more »

Surgery for obstructive sleep apnea often involves surgery of the throat that removes, repositions, and/or tightens tissue. Although the goal is to improve or eliminate the sleep apnea, the risks include the potential to disrupt normal function, especially speech and swallowing. Fortunately, speech changes have always been rare, but changes in swallowing have always been… Read more »

Upper Airway Stimulation (Inspire Medical Systems, Golden Valley, MN, USA) is an excellent treatment option for many patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea who are unable to tolerate positive airway pressure therapy (for example, CPAP or BPAP) well. There are a number of specific criteria to determine whether a patient is eligible for… Read more »

When patients with obstructive sleep apnea cannot tolerate positive airway pressure therapy (e.g., CPAP), they should consider other treatment options, including surgery and oral appliances. My career has focused on the surgical evaluation and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. When I started in this field, the main surgical option was traditional uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, and… Read more »

It is known that biomedical research studies include a disproportionate share of non-Hispanic White, middle-aged men. I am no expert, but it is obvious to me that research is most valuable when it reflects the diversity of our patient population and, indeed, our country. On this day that honors Jackie Robinson and his legacy in… Read more »

My entire career has focused on sleep disorders, especially obstructive sleep apnea and snoring, and I enjoy spreading science-based information about sleep to the public. I am fortunate to receive inquiries from members of the media and appreciate the opportunity to help in any way I can. Kathryn Drury Wagner contacted me for an article… Read more »

We have just completed the 27th Annual Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea and Snoring course in San Francisco, California. It has been wonderful to be a co-director for about 15 years, and I learn so much myself in every course. This year we did something different: a virtual format! We can thank… Read more »

The December 2021 Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine included two papers outlining the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommendations regarding surgical consultation for adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The first publication was an assessment of the literature, finding that: Upper airway surgery was associated with meaningful improvements in OSA signs and symptoms Upper… Read more »