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 »

Last week, I gave a lecture to our residents about the risks of medical complications after surgery in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.  It brought back memories of some studies about the risks of surgery in which I was involved and highlighted two recent studies of the risks of surgery published last month in journals… Read more »

This study and others are included in my video discussion of the Inspire Medical Systems Upper Airway Stimulation system that I have posted on Youtube. One of the distinctive aspects of the Inspire Medical Systems STAR Trial was the short-term withdrawal of therapy from some patients.  The November 2014 issue of the medical journal Otolaryngology–Head… Read more »

At the Keck Medical Center of USC, we were the first center in the Western US offering the Inspire Medical Systems Upper Airway Stimulation system for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.  With greater awareness of patients about health conditions and cutting-edge therapies, I have received many requests for information.  Based on these requests, I… Read more »

I am writing from Detroit and Henry Ford Hospital, the site of the 2014 International Surgical Sleep Society meeting.  The meeting brings together leaders from around the world, discussing the latest topics related to surgical and many non-surgical treatments other than positive airway pressure therapy (such as CPAP) and oral appliances.  This was the 6th… Read more »

This month (October 2014) I wrote an editorial in the medical journal SLEEP about a research study that appeared in the same issue.  The study is fascinating because it provides a deeper explanation not only of why weight gain is associated with worse sleep apnea and poorer outcomes for many sleep apnea treatments but why not… Read more »

The 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery was just held in Orlando from September 21-24.  It is always enjoyable and interesting to share experiences and findings with colleagues in several sessions and courses related to the surgical evaluation and treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.  This year, I… Read more »

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) is an evaluation technique that can be performed for patients with obstructive sleep apnea who are unable to tolerate positive airway pressure therapy (e.g., CPAP or BiPAP).  The purpose of DISE is to improve the results of treatment with surgery and/or oral appliances.  There are many surgical procedures available to treat the… Read more »

At the Sleep 2014 scientific conference in Minneapolis earlier this month, Patrick J. Strollo, Jr., MD from the University of Pittsburgh and colleagues presented 18-month outcomes from the STAR trial of Upper Airway Stimulation for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.  STAR Trial results at 12 months have been published in January 2014 in the New… Read more »