Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute at Hoag is the first in Orange County to offer a new, cutting-edge treatment option for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation therapy is the first implantable device for treating OSA. “At Hoag, we are always looking for state-of-the-art treatment options to benefit our patients,” said Jay Puangco, MD, service chief at the Judy & Richard Voltmer Sleep Center at the Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute at Hoag. “The Inspire therapy is clinically proven to reduce sleep apnea events, allowing our patients to get a more restful night’s sleep.” More than 18 million Americans have sleep apnea. Depending on the degree of severity, OSA can be a potentially life-threatening condition. Research shows that a person with poorly managed sleep apnea is at increased risk for heart attack, stroke, weight gain, high blood pressure and heart failure. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for sleep apnea; however, studies show that roughly half of all patients that start CPAP eventually become non-compliant. A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that hospital readmission rates, for all causes including cardiovascular and pulmonary, in patients with OSA were more than double for those who did not adhere to their CPAP therapy.

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