Study Objectives: To determine whether therapeutic positive airway pressure (PAP) level predicts response to hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) for obstructive sleep apnea using the coprimary outcomes of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and 4% oxygen desaturation index. Methods: Combined cohort study from two US sleep otolaryngology training programs. Subjects were adults with AHI > 15 events/h who underwent HGNS. Eligible subjects had diagnostic preoperative sleep studies, full-night efficacy postoperative studies and therapeutic PAP levels available for analysis. Low and high PAP groups were compared using the t test for continuous variables and chi-square test for categorical variables. Results: Fifty-six patients met all inclusion criteria. On average, patients were male, Caucasian, middle-aged, and overweight. Thirteen patients were in the low PAP group (< 8 cm H 2 O) and 43 patients in the high PAP group (≥ 8 cm H 2 O). Although both groups experienced improvement of polysomnographic measures with HGNS, the low PAP group achieved a significantly larger mean AHI reduction (36.7 ± 22.7 versus 18.4 ± 23.4, P = .02). Additionally, the low PAP group had a greater response rate (defined as AHI < 20 events/h and > 50% reduction of AHI) than the high PAP group (92% versus 44%, P < .01).Conclusions: Therapeutic PAP level may aid in the discernment of candidacy for HGNS, with a strong positive predictive value for PAP levels < 8 cm H 2 O. A larger prospective study is needed to confirm these findings.

Alternatives to positive airway pressure therapy, including surgery, represent an important area of research. Specifically, predictors of response to surgical therapy remain underdeveloped. Drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) holds promise as a diagnostic tool to identify patient-specific causes of airway collapse. Herein, we present a novel, standardized approach which combines anatomic and physiologic measurements during DISE. Our DISE platform measures airflow, airway compliance, airway collapsibility, and structural drivers of collapse. Taken together, these inputs provide a comprehensive framework to further inform the surgeon in providing personalized care of the patient with obstructive sleep apnea.

bstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder that involves complete or partial blockage in airflow during sleep. The resulting hypoxia and sympathetic activation place patients at an increased risk for metabolic syndrome, neurocognitive decline, hypertension, stroke, and other cardiovascular sequelae. 1,2 The primary therapy for OSA is positive airway pressure (PAP); however, although PAP treatment is beneficial, recommended adherence to therapy ranges from 17% to 54%. 3 Consequently, there exists a need for treatment alternatives to PAP therapy.One class of alternatives to PAP therapy is upper airway surgery, which includes soft tissue surgery, skeletal surgery, tracheostomy, and hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS). Hypoglossal nerve stimulation, the most recent develop-ment in OSA surgery, involves stimulation of select branches of the hypoglossal nerve resulting in tongue protrusion and upper airway dilation during sleep. The HGNS device used consists of 3 implantable components: a respiratory sensor, pulse generator (battery), and an electrode cuff (Inspire; Inspire Medical Systems). Upon inspiration, the respiratory sensor detects changes in the intrathoracic space and signals the pulse generator to stimulate the hypoglossal nerve. Stimulation persists through the end of expiration and then briefly deactivates to avoid overstimulation.Although studies have cited significant improvements in both objective and subjective outcomes following HGNS, [4][5][6] there exists a need to determine factors predictive of surgical outcomes. A previous study showed that a therapeutic PAP IMPORTANCE Recent retrospective hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) outcomes data suggest that patients with low therapeutic positive airway pressure (PAP) levels achieve greater success than patients with high therapeutic PAP levels.OBJECTIVE To examine the use of therapeutic nasal PAP levels at the soft palate in predicting the outcomes of HGNS for patients with obstructive sleep apnea. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis prospective cohort study used drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) to evaluate the predictive capacity of therapeutic PAP levels in HGNS outcomes. In an academic sleep surgery center, 27 consecutive patients with obstructive sleep apnea who underwent DISE before implantation of an HGNS device were evaluated.

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