Kirk Withrow, M.D., associate professor and Director of Salivary and Sleep Surgery Division in the Department of Otolaryngology, has been making significant headway in treating patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and resident implantation certification.

 Withrow, who was the first surgeon in Alabama to implant the Inspire device in 2015, has implanted over 400 devices in patients with OSA.

Approximately 22M Americans are impacted by OSA, a condition that can cause accidents, affect mood and memory, stroke, heart attack, and other potentially fatal outcomes if left untreated. With a hypoglossal nerve stimulator, patients often see an improvement in their daily rest.

This minimally-invasive, outpatient procedure involves placing an FDA-approved nerve stimulator like Inspire beneath the skin. By stimulating the hypoglossal nerve, the device restores muscle tone typically lost during sleep, which helps open the airway and reduce airway obstruction. Although the tongue receives direct stimulation, its connection to the soft palate and epiglottis helps lead to a broader upper airway stimulation in many cases. 

Withrow recently held a didactic and cadaver course during which two chief residents completed the required training to become certified to begin implanting Inspire. Several other residents were able to attend and observe the course as well. The course represented the first time any trainee received an Inspire implant certification during a residency program in the world.