[News] Winx (no mask) Offers Relief From Traditional Treatments

[ApneaNews]

Winx Offers Sleep Apnea Patients Relief From Traditional Treatments






YouTube link: http://youtu.be/Jffc9JazD2Y


NEWARK, Ohio - Scott Christie wants help getting a good night’s sleep.

He said it has been 13 years since he feels like he has gotten a restful night of sleep.

Technician Mike Lerner straps sensors over Christie’s body for an overnight test at Ohio Sleep Medicine.

“Noon, I’m yawning. I actually yawn during the morning meetings, as a matter of fact,” Christie said. “And in the afternoon, I get really restless. If I could sneak off and take a nap, I would.”

Dr. Markus Schmidt said sleep problems increase as people age.

“Fifteen percent of middle-aged men and about 25 percent of everybody over the age of 65 has a breathing problem in sleep,” Schmidt said. “It’s very, very common.”

Christie, who has sleep apnea, stops breathing and wakes up multiple times a night.

Schmidt said the best treatment is the C-PAP that uses a mask and hose to blow air into the nose and inflate the airway.

But not everyone can handle the treatment.

“They may have claustrophobia issues. They may have some difficulty with the C-PAP having the mask on the face,” Schmidt said.

When patients like Christie comes in for a test, the doctor also checks him or her out for the newest alternative – the Winx.

It’s smaller and quitter, with a cord and mouthpiece that creates a small vacuum.

“It pulls the tongue and the soft palate forward, so it opens up that airway behind the tongue to allow the patient to breathe naturally,” Schmidt said. “We’re actually trying to incorporate it in the first night evaluation.”

Christie said that he was not crazy about the idea of being hooked up to a machine.

“But if it gives me a good night’s rest, I’m game,” he said.

Schmidt said the Winx works very well for 43 percent of patients and not at all for others.

He said he thinks the shape of the soft palate and tongue may have something to do with it.

Though the Winx is approved by the FDA, doctors say more research is needed.

Fair use from:
http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2013...ments.html

[zonk]

they have to trash CPAP in order to promote this product
It would make me gag to have anything stuck inside mouth long night long beside one have to keep mouth closed and breathe through the nose

[DocWils]

The question that first comes to mind is how long could you tolerate a vacuum pulling on the tissue of your tongue? My guess is that this would have worse compliance than CPAP. But if it works, great. Only I suspect it doesn't so well. Time and research will tell.

[Shastzi]

This is supposed to keep the airway open, how?

[trish6hundred]

they have to trash CPAP in order to promote this product
It would make me gag to have anything stuck inside mouth long night long beside one have to keep mouth closed and breathe through the nose

Yeah, they made such a big deal about the "BIG" tubing, and how they got "tangled" up in it when there are solutions to keep that from happening but I guess they have to trash CPAP if their goal is to attempt to sell "NEW" equipmentt, to which we don't yet know the success rate.
Great if it works, but it remains to be seen if it really does.

[DocWils]

To start with, if it doesn't work for 57 percent of the people (I assume they mean tested) then it is likely that whatever the one for whom it worked are suffering from could also be dealt with by a mandible device of the various sort on the market that shove the jaw forward or press the tongue down or other methods. That would mean they are by and large outside the scope of clinical sleep apnoea, or fall with the very mild range. The rest fell within the clinical range of SA from say AHI 9 upwards and had actual collapsing air passageways rather than a tongue that slipped back blocking the passageway (which CPAP won't necessarily help anyway) or a rubbery soft palate. For most of the people on the forum, this would not work at all, as they suffer from various "classic" apnoeas, and moving their tongue wouldn't do the trick. But it would work for some, I am sure. It really depends on where in their throat the collapse is happening.

[Paptillian]

Hmm... this is challenging my understanding of OSA.

The most common explanation of OSA is that the soft tissue of the tongue collapses onto the back of the throat, obstructing the upper airway. If that were the only cause, then this device could have merit.

However from what I know, there exist other causes for OSA. My sleep doctor explained to me that my particular OSA is caused by a combination of things. Yes, I am overweight with a 17" neck. However, I also have very large tonsils and the roof of my mouth slopes down more sharply possibly adding to the obstruction.

All things considered I'm lucky to only have mild OSA (AHI=12.5 as measured) but I do believe that pulling my tongue forward might not be an effective fix for me.

It would be hard to find out without spending lots of money (including another sleep study to measure the device's effectiveness).

[DocWils]

Well, a sleep study would not be necessary - you could simply use a recording oxymeter (spelling varies from country to country - in the US I believe they spell it oximeter). Using the device, when you sleep, you measure if you have any periods of O2 desaturation below 86%. If you do, or you r constant dips often to just below 90%, then it is likely that the Winx will not be working for you - same with any mandible device.

There are dozens of causes for SA, but a 17' neck is certainly common amongst those who have it (a neck circumference of 39 cm or above is considered part and parcel with around 80% of all types of SA). The causes vary - the tongue meeting the soft palate and blocking the throat, the uvula "ballooning" on the inbreath, causing blockage, the upper throat tissue collapsing and causing blockage, the list goes on. And of course, we have central apnoeas, which are neurological in nature, and can be caused by brain problems or medications or drugs or any number of things. More often than not, they won't bother getting to the bottom of it - if CPAP does the job, then going through all the time consuming, often uncomfortable tests to find out the exact nature of the SA usually isn't worth it, since there is rarely an alternative to CPAP, and if there is, usually the type of SA you have will show up during the sleep tests plus some other tests.

[iSnooze]

The infomercial reminds of an informercial for frying scrambled eggs or something similar. It is so complicated to get the eggs out. So complicated to break the eggs. So messy to break the eggs. So difficult to whisk the eggs in a bowl. So messy to pour those eggs into the pan. So difficult to make sure the whisked eggs don't separate in the pan. So difficult to fry the eggs consistently without one part overcooking and the other part undercooking. I am so ashamed of myself for not recognizing the difficulty and mess making scrambled eggs the old way caused. I now see the error of my ways.

In all seriousness, IF this device helps people who won't use or can't use a cpap machine to get therapy that works, then good for them. I'm not trading in my cpap machine for something to stick in my mouth and create a vacuum while I sleep.