New Minimally Invasive Technique Promises Relief For Sleep Apnea Patients!

New surgical techniques could save billions of dollars in GDP loss due to lack of sleep.

Snoring ( a type of disordered breathing) is estimated to affect 45% of adults occasionally and 25% regularly. With time, snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) have become recognized as the most essential non-communicable conditions of modern times. The situation is grim, as lack of sleep costs nations billions of dollars in GDP. The condition can hinder academic and professional performance, decreasing quality of life. The productivity of the individual is compromised heavily.

Barbed Suspension Bridge Pharyngoplasty

A new paper published by Dr Vikas K. Agrawal and Rahul R. Gupta in September 2023 has presented a new surgical technique called 'Barbed Suspension Bridge Pharyngoplasty' that can provide long-term results in OSA with manageable complications.

Dr Vikas Agrwal explains, " surgeons have been using absorbable 'barbed sutures' (a suture is a row of stitches along the surgical cut) for the last decade amongst sleep apnea patients for its advantage of knotless application and distributed suture tension.However, in the new technique, we are using a 'non -absorbable barbed suture.' We suspend the lower part of the soft palate permanently as a suspension bridge between the right and left corners of the throat. Effectively, while swallowing or speaking, the soft palate can still move freely. At the same time, it does not move far behind enough , all the way to the wall of the throat, obstructing the airways."

Plasma/Coblation Techniques

This technique promises to be technically less demanding, providing excellent long-term results in snoring and OSA with manageable complications. It is also much superior to previous techniques like Radiofrequency ablation and Plasma/Coblation techniques. Dr Vikas Agarwal adds, "Soft palate is the most common area for snoring and sleep apnea collapse. To prevent the collapse, we attach the barbed suture. We use non-absorbable suture which is life long and just stays there and does its work." Dr Vikas Agrawal, widely considered the 'father of sleep surgery in India,' was the first to use this technique. He has also formulated India's first guidelines for surgical intervention in sleep apnea.