Those who suffer from ear, nose and throat (ENT) medical conditions often need the help of specialists. While they are available throughout the country, Brooklyn head and neck surgeon call groups are known as some of the most well-known in the country. Head and neck surgeons are usually ENTs who specialize in certain surgeries. One of the more common ailments surgically treated is sleep apnea. Surgical intervention is often a solution after non-invasive techniques have been tried and failed. Sleep apnea is a medical condition that actually causes the patient to stop breathing for a time while he or she is asleep. After gasping, and sometimes waking up, the person then begins to breathe again. This problem is becoming more common as obesity becomes more prevalent in the United States population. Common in obese patients, sleep apnea is considered life-threatening because there is the possibility that the patient may not begin breathing again on their own after one of the incidents. It also causes the patient difficulty in falling asleep, remaining asleep, and reaching a restorative sleep stage. As a result, the patient awakes in the morning feeling tired and almost overwhelming fatigue, usually accompanied by depression.
The most common non-invasive treatment for sleep apnea is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine that is worn by the patient at night, providing them with a continuous flow of oxygen via a facial mask. Unfortunately, this only works for about 50 percent of the patients who try it. Along with the CPAP, is a special diet and exercise regimen aimed at weight loss, which has been proven to cure sleep apnea in most sufferers.
Surgical treatment is generally considered a last-ditch effort in the fight against sleep apnea. However, some of the newer and more sophisticated procedures are more effective and less risky than the procedures used even five years prior. Unfortunately, the most effective surgery is still very invasive, and is recommended to patients who are very young and could have a more productive life without suffering from sleep apnea. Maxillomandibular Advancement (MMA) is 90 percent effective, but involves slicing the jaw in half, moving it forward, thus enabling easier breathing due to the newly enlarged airway. This can change a person's facial features, but tends to look acceptable on those people already having chins that are set back from the rest of their face. Science, however, is always advancing, and some less invasive surgeries are being perfected, in order to enable everyone a restorative, good night's sleep.
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