Department of Otolaryngology brings Inspire procedure to VA hospital

Department of Otolaryngology faculty members Monika Freiser,M.D., MPH; Christopher Roberts, M.D. chief resident and PGY5 in the program; and Chadi Makary, M.D. have completed the first Inspire procedure at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center.

Inspire is an FDA-approved obstructive sleep apnea treatment option for people who cannot use continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Inspire causes mild stimulation that opens up the airway during sleep, allowing oxygen to flow naturally.

"Inspire is the most up to date procedure for patients with OSA. We are proud of our Department of Otolaryngology team here at WVU who made this treatment available at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center. With this milestone, our veterans in West Virginia now have access to this important and effective treatment for sleep apnea," said Department of Otolaryngology Chair and Professor Hassan Ramadan, M.D., MSc, FACS.

The LAJVAMC is the third location in West Virginia and the first VA in the state to offer Inspire. The procedure has previously been successful at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown and the Wheeling Hospital in Wheeling.

For more information about the Department of Otolaryngology, visit https://medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/otolaryngology/.