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Jan 30, 2025

Apnea Treat- a minimally invasive implant for Sleep apnea therapy

Life Sciences, Medical Devices

  • Treating sleep apnea without the need for patient compliance
  • Minimal tissue damage, no discomfort to be expected
  • Low manufacturing costs for the implant system

Your contact

Dr. Katrin Bercht

E-Mail:
kbercht@baypat.de
Phone:
+49 (0) 89 5480177 - 16
Reference Number:
B83003

Challenge

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is affecting 425 Mio people worldwide and is characterized by recurrent breathing pauses caused by a reduction in muscle tone in the soft tissue in the upper airways , e.g. when a patient’s tongue collapses on the back of the throat. These pauses can last for minutes, which can lead to a drop in the oxygen concentration in the blood and ultimately to an insufficient supply to the organs. In addition to changes in sleeping habits, severe OSA ist currently treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. However, this method relies heavily on patient compliance and around 26% of patients discontinue the CPAP treatment within the first 3 months. An alternative, a surgical insertion of neurostimulating implants („tongue pacemakers”) is a demanding procedure, batteries have to be changed and the technology is often not compatible with magnetic resonance imaging.

Innovation

The invention describes an implant for the treatment of OSA which stabilizes the tongue during sleep, thereby preventing obstruction of the airways. The tissue anchor is inserted during a 30-minute minimally invasive procedure and anchored in the tongue tissue via a balloon catheter. The distal anchor element may have an umbrella-like structure, which radially expands around a pivot to assume the deployed configuration. The implant allows for normal tongue movement, but prevents a collapse of the airway. The patient can activate the implant via tongue movements that do not occur in everyday life.

Commercial Opportunities

  • Treating sleep apnea without the need for patient compliance
  • Minimal tissue damage, no discomfort to be expected
  • Pretension can be adjusted by the surgeon (infinitely variable adjustment, can also be adjusted subsequently)
  • Low manufacturing costs for the implant system

Development Status

TRL 3.5

References

Interested? Get in touch!

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