Sleep apnea: this French clinic offers rare, efficient and reimbursed treatment
Sleep apnea affects several million people in France. © Shutershock
In Strasbourg, the Sainte-Barbe clinic now offers an innovative alternative to treat sleep apnea. On January 15, Dr Denis Briche and Amina Ganeval carried out an operation still rare in France: the implementation of a so -called “XII” stimulator, a device that could well change the lives of many patients in failure of traditional treatments .
An innovative device against sleep apnea in Strasbourg
Sleep apnea affects millions of French people, causing chronic fatigue and increased cardiovascular risks. So far, the treatments were mainly based on continuous positive pressure (PPC) or mandibular gutters. Las, these solutions are sometimes poorly tolerated.
The XII stimulator offers a promising option. Comparable to a pacemaker, this small device is located under the skin of the chest. It then stimulates the hypoglossal nerve, responsible for the movements of the language, thus making it possible to maintain the respiratory tract released during sleep. A remote control allows the patient to activate it and adjust the intensity of the stimulation.
Health insurance management
Long reserved for a few patients abroad, this technology has been practiced in the United States for 20 years. Its cost of around 20,000 € brake its development in France. But since last July, it has been taken care of by health insurance, authorizing a greater number of access to it.
For whom?
Please note, this intervention is not intended for everyone. They'address To people for whom conventional treatments have failed or are not supported, with a diagnosis established for more than a year and a body mass index (BMI) less than 32.
Little by little, demand increases. The Sainte-Barbe clinic has already operated on nine patients, and this is the beginning. Other medical centers in France adopt this technology. For example, the Laveran military hospital in Marseille recently established this device on several patients, a first in the armies.
News also in connected health
Although polysomnography requires sophisticated equipment, more accessible emerging solutions. For example, The French Apneal App, presented at CES 2025allows you to detect sleep apnea using a smartphone.
Likewise, the Apple Watch Series 9L'Watch Series 10 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 offer a functionality for monitoring respiratory disruption during sleep, thus offering a practical means to detect this syndrome.
