A new treatment for patients with central sleep apnea

RAPID CITY, S.D. (Jan. 13, 2021) – Ethan Levine, D.O., FHRS, an electrophysiologist at Monument Health Heart and Vascular Institute, performed the region’s first implantation of Respicardia’s remedē® System in partnership with the Monument Health Sleep Center on Dec. 9, 2020. The implant is a breakthrough treatment that has been shown to improve sleep, breathing and quality of life in adult patients with moderate to severe central sleep apnea (CSA). People with moderate to severe CSA often suffer from chronic fatigue, daytime sleepiness, and memory or concentration problems.

“For the people struggling with the condition, not only is it debilitating, but there’s clear evidence that it increases mortality. Getting it treated prolongs and improves the quality of life,” explained Dr. Levine. “The remedē® System provides a new treatment to more effectively provide relief to central sleep apnea patients.”

Central sleep apnea is a serious type of sleep-disordered breathing that occurs when the brain does not send the correct signals to the diaphragm. The result is an inconsistent breathing rhythm and pattern, leading to repeated arousals from sleep, drops in oxygen levels in the blood, and increased cardiac stress response. For the approximately 75% of CSA patients that have heart failure and/or atrial fibrillation, these central apnea events substantially compound the negative impact of their cardiovascular disease, contributing to the downward cycle of heart failure and leading to higher mortality and hospitalizations.

The FDA-approved remedē® System is an implantable therapy that monitors and stabilizes the breathing pattern to restore sleep throughout the night. The remedē® System is placed by a cardiologist during a minimally invasive outpatient procedure. When the patient is asleep, the remedē® System stimulates a nerve in the chest to send signals to the large muscle that controls breathing. These signals stimulate breathing in the same way that the brain signals breathing.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Wade Ellett
Communications Specialist
Strategic Marketing and Communications
Monument Health
wellett@monument.health