Publications by authors named "T Kaffenberger"
Mean disease alleviation measures the effectiveness of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) treatments. It combines a patient's adherence to treatment normalized to their total sleep time and the treatment's efficacy as determined by the change in the apnea-hypopnea index. This metric fails to capture the patient's OSA-related symptoms, which are a key component and, in some cases, the primary component, of determining response to treatment.
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- Hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) is being studied as a treatment for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who cannot tolerate CPAP, using the modified sleep apnea severity index (mSASI) to assess its efficacy and adherence.
- A retrospective study of 264 patients found that, while there were no significant differences in device usage hours based on mSASI levels, higher mSASI scores correlated with greater daytime sleepiness post-HGNS.
- Overall, preoperative mSASI did not significantly affect HGNS adherence, suggesting a need for further research on its utility in this patient group.
Objective: Since 2011, otolaryngologists aiming to become certified in sleep medicine have had to complete an ACGME accredited sleep medicine fellowship. In addition to standard sleep medicine and sleep surgery fellowships, several institutions have developed hybrid ACGME sleep medicine programs that incorporate sleep surgery training. Our primary aims were to understand the balance between sleep medicine and surgical training requirements and the surgical volume of recent graduates across the three pathways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Objectives: Hypoglossal nerve stimulator (HGNS) is a common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. Objective assessment of HGNS efficacy measures apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) by multiamplitude titration polysomnography (tPSG) and/or a single amplitude, full-night type 3 home sleep study (eHST). Both tests have been used to determine efficacy despite significantly different protocols.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) lingual tonsillectomy and hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) are effective surgical interventions for well-selected patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) intolerant to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Previous publications have demonstrated that HGNS patients have a lower postoperative apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and length of hospital stay than TORS patients. No prior study has investigated the differences in costs between HGNS and TORS.
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