apnicure

[Cygnus]

Anyone see this yet? Doc told me about it. Pretty interesting...using a vacuum instead of positive pressure...

Apnicure.com

[Shastzi]

I'll wait till it comes out in paperback.

Problem #1. There is no way to monitor how well the therapy is working.

Assume nothing!

Problem #2. I am not going to shove that thing into the back of my throat and into my nose.

Problem #3 I can't breathe well enough through my nose anyway so, strike three, it's out.

Your mileage may vary.

[Sleeprider]

As compared to CPAP, I don't think it's too good. For patients that fail CPAP it might be an option to improve AHI. An excerpt from their own funded study:

Clinical success defined a priorias AHI reduction ≥ 50% and treatment AHI ≤ 20 was observed in 14/30 subjects (3/7 mild, 4/9 moderate, 7/14 severe). In these 14 subjects, AHI was reduced from 31.0 (18.8-45.1) to 5.7 (4.6-9.1) (median (interquartile range)) and for eleven of them, treatment AHI was < 10.

If you define success as an AHI less than 20, or a 50% improvement then sure, good stuff. That would leave me with an AHI of 30 and being considered a success. Great! No so much for me, but for the company trying to sell this crap.

Set your standards low enough (50% average reduction of AHI) and your success is assured. The studies of the device are all funded by Anicure. Give me an independent study comparing the efficacy against other forms of OSA treatment, and that also measure hypopnea, and we might be talking.

The apparent efficacy of Apnicure is good only if compared to untreated apnea. For patients that will not use a CPAP, what are the odds they will comply with this?

[Shastzi]

50% reduction for me still means I'd croak it.

So....

[Cygnus]

Yea...but it's an interesting concept...using negatively instead of positive pressure to pull a splint instead of push it.

Also, you are not sticking anything in your throat or nose...its a mouthpiece you wear in your teeth, like many dental appliances...but this one has an nozzle to pull a vacuum above your tongue.

It probably is a weird feeling.

I see a couple main issues with it..

1. Not sure how much data you can get as it basically is just a brick cpap in reverse. Not sure how I could ever sense much of your actual breathing...

2. They admit it doesn't work well if your Apnea is cause by your tongue, only your soft palette...my guess is that for most of us...it's a combo of both...

3. I bet it won't work well for us mouth breathers...

But hey...no mask..at all. The mask tends to be the biggest issue for cpap. Large amounts of people would rather have a stroke or heart attack then fight with a mask during sleep. This is a huge problem that requires som novel thought and approaches....with virtually nothing coming out of the sleep industry. For that, I give them kudos....

[Sleeprider]

It's right up there with mouth appliances and surgical options. The expected improvement would not be sufficient to replace CPAP unless you simply can't or won't tolerate CPAP therapy.

[Shastzi]

I agree, it seems a little bit too quacky to me.

[PaulaO2]

I don't understand why folks would rather use this, or no device at all. I mean, yeah, I struggled and still do struggle with my CPAP and the mask and all the crap that comes with it. But without it, I know for certain I'd have a stroke at the very least.

Maybe it is because I already went through the "accept the device" thing with my crutches then wheelchair that a mask at night is not a big deal. But, really, we're asleep. Not sitting at a desk where everyone can see us. Wear the damn thing and live to see your grandkids graduate college.

[TyroneShoes]

Jury is still out. But there appear to be a couple of issues with the video violating the laws of physics.

1. First, the volume of the area that is vacuumed seems to be so small as to require a lot of suction to deflate it, and the amount needed would probably be pretty uncomfortable. The way to make it comfortable enough to tolerate is to lower the pressure which essentially will probably destroy the efficacy. So the solution, as far as sales goes, is to eliminate efficacy in order to make it tolerable, because comfort is something we know instantly, while efficacy is an unproven invisible promise.

2. On the video, instead of the vacuumed area getting smaller due to suction in what would be expected to be the normal way, somehow it magically pulls primarily in one direction which opens the (cartoon) airway, rather than equally in all directions, which is what the laws of physics would probably dictate.


Please.

[car54]

Having a strong gag reflex I could not use it. I am not the only one.