Advanced Brain Monitoring has introduced a temporary oral applicant, Apnea Guard, to treat snoring and sleep apnea.
Study principal investigator Dan Levendowski said, "Apnea Guard addresses the need identified during a $1m National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research study designed to improve clinical outcomes with oral appliance therapy."
Advanced Brain Monitoring chief medical officer Philip Westbrook said Apnea Guard was cleared by the the US Food and Drug Administration, so hospital staff can use it to assist with the management of hypoxemia and sleep apnea post-operatively.
"For patients suspected of having sleep apnea, it provides a therapeutic safety-net during their hospital stay and after discharge while on narcotic pain medications," Westbrook added.
"The 30-night ‘window for use’ provides sufficient time for the patient to return for a post-surgery sleep study."
Belgium University hospital researcher Miche DeMeyer said, "Because Apnea Guard has no metal components and controls both vertical and protrusive adjustment, it can be used in MRI imaging studies to better understand the response of the airway to mandibular repositioning."