Concurrent hypoglossal and phrenic nerve stimulation in patients with obstructive and treatment emergent central sleep apnea

Background: Patients with obstructive or central sleep apnea are primarily treated with positive airway pressure treatment. There are novel implantable options targeting either obstructive sleep apnea using hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HNS) or central sleep apnea using phrenic nerve stimulation (PNS). Methods: Patients with sleep apnea were implanted with both HNS and PNS devices, and their response to each therapy was monitored using home sleep tests as well as Epworth Sleepiness scale (ESS). Results: We evaluated our concurrent neurostimulation approach in two patients. Both patients were implanted with two neuromodulation devices: The first case suffered from treatment emergent central sleep apnea after HNS activation for primarily obstructive sleep apnea (apnea–hypopnea index/AHI 54/h). The central portion resolved under PNS (AHI 23.7/h). The second case suffered from predominantly central sleep apnea (AHI 82/h). Here, the PNS device was implanted first, resulting in a subsequent reduction of the central portion. The residual obstructive sleep apnea was addressed using HNS (AHI 5.4/h). No interaction between the HNS and PNS systems was noticed in either of the two patients. Conclusions: In selected cases, a concurrent treatment with hypoglossal and phrenic nerve stimulation may lead to improvement of sleep apnea and patient satisfaction in a safe manner.