Sleep Apnea – Fuhgeddaboutit!
tough guy needsssleep.
, an actor and ֭Ƶ patient, knows all aboutit.Throughout his career, Tony has playedon-screenmobsters.He played SonnyBunzinthe movie “Goodfellas” andLarry BoyBareseinthe HBO hit, “The Sopranos.”
Off-screen, however, Tony was feelinglesstough.
Tonyhad severe sleep apnea,a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. He was experiencingthe classic symptoms:daytime fatigue and disrupted, poor-qualitysleep at night.
ThoughTony hadbeen aware of the condition before undergoing an ablation procedure for his irregular heartbeat,his surgeontoldhimafterthe procedurethat surgeryhad tobepausedseveral times because the apnea obstructed his airway.
To address the sleep apnea,Tony’s physician advised usinga CPAP machine.
The machineoffers the patientcontinuous positive airway pressure(CPAP)whenthe patient wearsa face mask attached to a tube.The tube thenconnects to machine that blows pressurized air into the mask and through the airway to keep it open. It’s commonfirst-line treatment for sleep apnea,butnot every patient toleratesit.
“I was gagging from the mouthpiece, and the hookups were uncomfortable,” Tony recalls. “I could hear the air coming outwhile Islept, and finally, I sent back the machine.”
The next time Tony visited hisphysicianin New Jersey, he was referred to MariV.Suurna,MD, FACSat ֭Ƶ.
WhenCPAPis no longer an option, sleep apnea suffererscanturn to dental devices or surgical procedures.Dr.Suurnaperformed a drug-induced sleep endoscopy to evaluate Tony’s airwayto determine themost effective treatment.Once she got a close look atthe anatomy of Tony’s airway, Dr.Suurnaposedsomething new.
Dr.Suurnahad beenperforming a procedurecalled Inspire,since 2015. It’san FDA-approved obstructive sleep apnea treatment that works inside the body while the patient sleeps.Dr.ܳܰԲ’splan was tosurgically implanting neurostimulationdevice in the side of the chest and neck. The tiny devicegently stimulatesmuscles in the airway during sleep.The patient turns it on at night beforebed, and either turns it off, or it turns off itself in the morning.
“Most patients respond very well,” Dr.Suurnasays. “Even ourveryfirst patient who underwent the procedure went from more than 50 events [sleep apnea disruptions] to zero when he went for his sleep study after the implantation.Sleep apnea, whether it’s caused by thepatients’ own anatomyorneuromuscular tone, whichcan change over time and with age, can worsen. Thenitbecomesquality of lifeissue.”
For Tony, the post-Inspire quality of life improvement was immediate. After his first night using Inspire, he saw improvement.
“This is the best thing I have ever done in my life.Everything has changed,” Tonyexplains. “Now I’m not having trouble falling asleep, I can sleep for 11 or 12 hours, and I sleep very soundly with no noise.”
Tony’s real-life response tohaving parted withCPAP?“Fuhgeddaboutit.”
No mask. No wires. And noloudmachinekeeping him awake.
A follow-up sleep study indicates thatTony hasconquered the severesleep apnea thanks to Dr.ܳܰԲ’ssurgicalintervention.Pre-pandemic, he’scontinued his on-screen work, night club and casino acts, and stand-upwith energy and joy—all thanks to a tough guy getting better night’s sleep.