Provent: A New Way of Treating Sleep Apnea

April 24, 2009

I’ve been waiting a long time for Provent to be available to the general public. I saw a pilot study about this device in one of my sleep medicine journals 6 months ago, and was intrigued by how this device works. Essentially, it’s two nasal plugs that attach to your nostrils using adhesives. During inspiration, you can breathe normally, but during exhalation, it limits the amount of air that can pass through the device. The theory is that when there’s more resistance when you exhale, at the end of exhalation, a slight positive pressure effect is created in the throat, keeping your relaxed muscles more open.

Looking at the raw data, it does seem to make a difference, but it doesn’t really "cure" the problem. On average, it lowered the AHI by about 50%. In some people, the results were much better, and in others, it was actually worse.

Since it’s so new, insurance doesn’t cover it. A 30 day supply is about $135, but for a limited time, they’re offering a 50% discount. It must be ordered through a prescribing physician and will be mailed to your house.

I got some samples and will offer it to select patients to test it out. I’ll keep you posted on the results.

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog
Tagged: ,obstructive sleep apnea, provent