Dr. Timothy Dettmer On Sleep Apnea & Upper Airway Stimulation

May 23, 2022

Over 18 million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a potentially life-threatening condition that causes you to stop breathing during sleep.

Recently MercyOne North Iowa Specialty Care hosted Mason City Clinic ENT physician, Tim Dettmer in a virtual seminar about a new treatment option for patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea–Upper Airway Stimulation Therapy.

In this live webinar recording, Timothy Dettmer, MD, ENT explains that Upper Airway Stimulation, or UAS, is therapy for obstructive sleep apnea that helps open the airway when people are sleeping.  Dr. Dettmer discusses a specific procedure that allows the tongue to move out of the way while someone is sleeping.

Over the last few years Dr. Dettmer says they’ve had excellent response from patients using a UAS device.  This upper airway stimulation technology delivers a promising new alternative for OSA sufferers who are unable to use or get consistent benefits from CPAP, a machine which requires you to wear a special mask and tubes during sleep.

Many CPAP users find it difficult to sleep with a mask over their face, attached to a machine and so they end up stowing their CPAP away and just living with their sleep apnea – a dangerous proposition at best.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and cannot tolerate a CPAP, call Mason City Clinic today and ask about UAS, the new alternative to CPAP therapy that requires no hose and no mask.