KSHB: New FDA-approved device tested at Saint Luke's helps patients with central sleep apnea

Untreated central sleep apnea can not only lead to extreme fatigue and memory loss but also much more severe side effects including diabetes, congestive heart failure, and death.  For years there were not real treatment options for these patients.  However, that all recently changed as the FDA approved a new device which has shown very promising results. 

When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, adults should get about eight hours.  With sleep apnea, Dr. Andrew Kao, Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute cardiologist, said sometimes at night, the brain forgets to tell the body to breathe. 

To change that, there was a new implantable device called the Remede System, used to help the body breathe. “Now for the first time, we have a way of treating that and that's really really exciting,” Dr. Kao said.

Saint Luke’s was the leading clinical trial site across the country when the device was being tested. “This particular device showed that it decreased the number of stoppage of breaths by more than 50 percent in most of our patients,” Dr. Kao said.

Since the clinical trial began, Saint Luke’s Hospital states it has helped about 14 patients who suffer from central sleep apnea.

KSHB reporter Rae Daniel interviewed one patient whose life was changed by this device and shares how research at Saint Luke's made that possible.