New implant offers hope to millions with sleep apnoea

A new electronic chip that zaps the tongue's nerves could relieve millions of patients with a common disorder that stops them from breathing in their sleep.

- JABED AHMED

The technology has the potential to eliminate the need for uncomfortable machinery that some people rely on when going to bed.

Sleep apnoea, a condition that causes breathing to periodically stop while an individual is sleeping, affects around 8 million people in the UK. The most common type, obstructive sleep apnoea, is marked by choking sounds, loud snoring, and waking frequently. It occurs when the walls of the throat relax and widen or close.

The three-hour procedure to fit the Genio Nyxoah implant was carried out by medics at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) earlier this month. One of the two patients, Natalie Boller, 63, was feeling better within days and will return to the clinic to have the device activated in the coming weeks. She said she is looking forward to being more active, something her tiredness has prevented.