Bio
Dr. Moeller has a clinical interest in all facets of adult and pediatric ear, nose and throat disorders with a particular interest in allergic and sinus disorders, parotid gland tumors, thyroid and parathyroid disorders, obstructive sleep apnea and head and neck cancer.
He was born and raised in the north suburbs of Chicago and while at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, he met his wife, Sarah, who was raised in Wethersfield.
IF YOU SUFFER FROM SLEEP APNEA AND THE C-PAP MACHINE DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU…THIS MAY HELP…DOCTORS AT HARTFORD HOSPITAL ARE USING AN IMPLANTABLE DEVICE TO TREAT MODERATE TO SEVERE OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA. JOINING US IS DR. CARL MOELLER AN EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT SPECIALIST AT HARTFORD HOSPITAL TO EXPLAIN MORE…
Q. FIRST, WHAT IS OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA?
A. Obstructive sleep apnea is collapse of the tissue in the throat during sleep, blocking the airway, and temporarily disrupting breathing. Sleep apnea causes snoring and excessive sleepiness and, over the long term, increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, traffic accidents and cardiac arrest. We typically treat sleep apnea with CPAP, which is a mask that blows air into the nose and throat, preventing obstruction. However, a large percentage of patients don't tolerate CPAP very well, upwards of 50% in many studies.
Q. TELL US ABOUT THIS IMPLANTABLE DEVICE? WILL THIS HELP WITH SNORING?
A. The Inspire hypoglossal nerve stimulator is a small implantable device for the treatment of sleep apnea. A sensor in the chest wall senses when the patient is attempting to take a breath then sends a gentle stimulation to the nerve that controls the tongue, preventing an obstruction. We see a significant improvement in the overall severity of sleep apnea, with a 78% reduction in the number of obstructive events per hour, even three years after implantation. Additionally, 80% of implant patients' bed partners reports soft or no snoring three years following surgery.
Q. WHAT IS INVOLVED IN THE SURGICAL PROCEDURE AND THE RECOVERY TIME?
A. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia and involves three incisions; a generator below the collar bone, an electrode around the nerve that controls the tongue, and sensor in the muscles between the ribs.
Patients typically go home the same day or next day following surgery. Pain is typically mild and the patient may return to normal activity after a few days. The device is activated after one month and the patient undergoes a sleep study two months after surgery to ensure the device is relieving the obstruction.
Q. IS THERE A SPECIFIC CRITERIA PATIENTS MUST MEET TO QUALIFY FOR THIS TYPE OF PROCEDURE?
A. The indications for hypoglossal nerve stimulation include failure or refusal to use CPAP, moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (based on the number of times the patient stops breathing per hour, and lack of obesity, (body mass index less than 32). If the patient meets those criteria, we perform a brief airway evaluation under anesthesia to determine if they are a good candidate.
THIS SOUNDS HOPEFUL FOR MANY PATIENTS…IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROCEDURE CALL 1-855-HHC-HERE.
Insurance Accepted*
Aetna, Anthem, BCBS Medicare, Cigna Healthcare, Colonial Cooperative Care, Community Health Network of Connecticut, Inc., Connecticare, Connecticare Commercial, Connecticare Medicare, Corvel, Coventry, Essence Healthcare, Evercare, First Health Group Corp., Focus, Harvard Pilgrim, Health Connecticut, Health Direct, Health New England, Healthy Connecticut, HMC/ Northeast Healthcare, Medspan Commercial, Medspan Medicare, Multiplan, Northeast Health Direct, One Health Plan/ Great-West Healthcare, Oxford Health Plans, Prime Health Services, Private Health Care Systems, Inc., Senior Whole Health, United Healthcare, WellCare of Connecticut, Inc.