PRESS RELEASE. Treatment of sleep apnea: Aésio Santé offers an innovative alternative to patients

Une alternative aux dispositifs habituels ? ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH. - Greg Pappas

The team of ENT surgeons at the Beau Soleil Clinic in Montpellier, an Aésio Santé facility, is one of five French centers authorized to implant hypoglossal nerve neurostimulators for the treatment of sleep apnea.

From September 2024, the Beau Soleil Clinic in Montpellier will be one of five centers in France authorized to implant hypoglossal nerve neurostimulators for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

An implantable system

The Inspire® device, offered by the institution's ENT surgeons, is a promising alternative for patients who cannot tolerate CPAP – continuous positive airway pressure.

The Inspire® technology uses a fully implantable system to stimulate the hypoglossal nerve, which helps keep the airway open during sleep. This treatment is intended for patients with moderate to severe disease who cannot use CPAP therapy, or for whom this technique is not sufficiently effective.

10-year battery life

The Inspire® consists of 3 elements: a small stimulator, a respiration detection electrode and a stimulation electrode. Using a remote control, the patient can start and stop the stimulation.

The device is implanted during a short hospitalization. A sensor is placed at the level of the thorax, it is able to identify the moments when the patient stops breathing. It then sends the information to an implant that is placed under the skin of the collarbone, which itself stimulates another implant located, this time, under the tongue. This stretches the tongue by causing a reflex that allows the air to circulate normally.

The device implanted at the level of the thorax must be replaced every 10 years, which corresponds to the autonomy of the battery. The device is compatible with MRI.

The number of episodes reduced

Studies conducted on this technique demonstrate a significant reduction in apnea episodes. Social security has recently accepted the reimbursement of this therapy, marking a significant advance. It is also important to note that the medical and surgical teams at the Beau Soleil clinic do not charge any additional fees.

This recognition is the result of the work of Dr. Olivier Gallet de Santerre, an ENT surgeon at the Beau Soleil clinic, now retired, who contributed enormously to the adoption of this technology.

Today, the succession is ensured, within the establishment, by Drs. Vincent Trévillot and François Marlier, ENT surgeons, who implant the Inspire® device.

Aésio Santé : mutualist actor innovative

Care, Support, Innovate: this is the guiding principle of the mutualist actor. It offers, through nearly 200 healthcare establishments, a range of care and services, adapted to each territory.

Aésio is present in both the health and medico-social fields. From surgery to medicine, including cancerology, follow-up and rehabilitation care, home hospitalization, radiology, health centers, dental…

But it is also present in reception for the elderly, people with disabilities, early childhood and personal services or even innovation, research and development.

Still with this aim of caring, supporting, innovating, Aésio deals with the sectors of goods and services: pharmacies, optical centers, hearing aids, general orthopedics and medical equipment.

Every day, 5,100 healthcare professionals invest in caring for, supporting, assisting and providing their patients, residents and clients with ever more innovative solutions.

Faced with the challenges of our society: aging population, development of chronic diseases, scarcity of public finances, the mutualist group pursues its ambition to promote access for all to quality healthcare quality.

To this end and in concrete terms, the teams are working in the field to develop e-health and facilitate access to remote specialists or benefit from tools based on artificial intelligence to identify and prevent fragility.

It also ensures the creation of local health centers in areas affected by medical desertification and the optimization of care pathways, avoiding breaks in care and hospitalizations.

Aésio Santé is also responsible for experimenting with new approaches in charge and tools to provide new solutions in patient support.