Plasma Blade Surgery for a "Face Lift" of the Throat

[roster]

This doctor is singing our song - "deadly condition", "the number of people suffering from sleep apnea is mind boggling" and his description of the procedure is quite impressive. Note that they say the "plasma blade does not damage the throat and does not burn the tissues."

Note at the end the patient is smiling and talking about how much better she feels. This is only two weeks from the surgery, so we can believe the pain and recovery time are a small fraction of a UPPP. I understand she still has her uvula, but it has been repositioned.

Lenea, 42, suffers from sleep apnea, and undergoes a plasma blade surgery to reposition her airway and allow her to breathe freely.

"I call it a face lift of the throat," Dr. Weeks says. "We're basically lifting the throat. The plasma blade allows us to do that without damaging the throat and without burning the tissues."

The video is quite impressive - http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/procedure_list/761

I think the medical profession is beginning to make some great strides in this surgery and would like to hear more. I don't have time to research now, but if there is more on YouTube or elsewhere, please post the links on this thread.

Comments are requested.

[BlackSpinner]

I would wait a few years to see what the patients progress is - with UPPP it often comes back later.....

[roster]

I would wait a few years to see what the patients progress is - with UPPP it often comes back later.....

Once you are my age, a few years of good life is all you need. That will patch me over to the grave.

[JimIllinois]

Sheesh, that one sounds scary.

It's like Darth Vader using a light saber on my throat...

[-SWS]

Introducing the Peak Plasma Blade from Peak Surgical: a tissue dissection system that represents a quantum leap over surgical instruments in use today.

I agree the new Plasma Blade sounds promising as a general surgical tool: minimal scar tissue, very little bleeding, and radically reduced healing time. However, it seems pretty new. As of this writing there are only six Google Scholar hits for the pair of search terms "plasma blade" and "apnea":
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en ... =&as_vis=0

Click to see marketing description:

Graphical Surgical Footage
(viewer discretion advised)

Okay, so it's clearly a superior way to surgically cut tissue in at least some cases---such as surface incisions not requiring a scalpel's ultra-precision. I think I'd rather go under the Plasma Blade than the scalpel or Bovie based on what I see in the two videos above. But... can a superior incision method alone improve prognosis for what are essentially the same upper-airway reconstruction techniques?

And speaking of traditional upper-airway reconstruction techniques, here's a recent and thought-provoking blog commentary by a doctor Rooster and I both admire:
http://doctorstevenpark.com/uppp-revisi ... leep-apnea

[roster]

.........
And speaking of traditional upper-airway reconstruction techniques, here's a recent and thought-provoking blog commentary by a doctor Rooster and I both admire:
http://doctorstevenpark.com/uppp-revisi ... leep-apnea

I see the same doctor viewed the video today and wrote:

He did the standard uvulopalatopharyngoplasty procedure for sleep apnea, using a not too new technology. I've been using the plasma device for 8 years for the soft palate and tonsils. The tonsils weren't that big.

He doesn't mention whether or not she tried CPAP first and consider dental devices.

They may have cut off the procedure. At one point, I saw the assistant holding a Somnoplasty device for the tongue base, and I'm assuming that they performed this procedure as well. It's not too exciting to watch, so they probably edited it out.

It no longer sounds so interesting to me.

[-SWS]

Dr. Parks' perspective as an ENT surgeon seems wonderfully balanced and forward-looking. He's obviously not surgery biased. And he's the kind of ENT surgeon I would want a UPPP evaluation from---if I were considering that procedure.

But I didn't realize the plasma device had been out that many years. As a patient I'd prefer an incision device that minimizes collateral tissue damage and speeds healing...

So thanks for linking that video, Rooster! Good find IMHO.

[roster]

..... And he's the kind of ENT surgeon I would want a UPPP evaluation from---if I were considering that procedure.

.......

I also would like to have an evaluation by Dr. Park. If he ruled out the surgery that would be worth something. On the other hand, if he thought it would have a high probability of success, I would seriously consider it.

[Mac33]

I definitely have UARS and Dr Park is hop away right over the bridge in the city. I've been using my CPAP pretty regularly the last two months since getting y machine but I can't see using this the rest of my life. I definitely have enlarged turbinates, a slightly deviated septum and narrowed mucosa from my CT scan of almost ten years ago but I never had the surgery. My AHI was 57 during my sleep study back in August but I used ambien that night which probably doubled my numbers, however my O2 numbers stayed over 90% for most of the night. I also have severe allergies. I guess I need to approach this one step at a time, clear the UARS then see where the next obstruction is coming from. My pressure is only 8 so I don't need much pressure to lift the collapsed area. My thinking is tightening this area of the throat with blade surgery after we identify the area of collapse. My recent blood work from last week showed my glucose levels at 100 from prior levels being pre-diabetic of between 109-118 and that was not even fasting but rather the end of my day, had a small fresh tuna on rye three hours earlier. My A1c also dropped to a 6 from a prior 6.8 5 years earlier. Blood pressure also has dropped to below 120/80 from prior levels of 130/90 pre-hypertension. So I need to stay compliant right now and my Atrial fibrillation has also been in check.

[midnightdweary]

I'm with you Rooster. When do we go to New York?
Notice its there beside of Central Park close to the Trump Tower.
Might be a fun trip. Lots to do. (If we have any money left)

Jay

[sypark]

Someone asked about plasma blade surgery and I found this discussion. Just wanted to chime in. There are different uses of plasma field technology with various companies offering difference products. What they used in "The Doctors" is a Coblation device, which is technically not a blade. Peak Surgical has a device that's really a cutting blade. Twenty years ago, everyone wanted the laser, and some people still ask about it, even though it's an older technology that's not used that much in sleep apnea surgery.

Ultimately, it's not how advanced the technology is that determines whether or not your surgery is successful. If you had a surgeon that uses the traditional Bovie cautery and gets excellent results, then don't let the technical issues such as which cutting tool, type of suture, or how long it takes, affect your decision. A surgeon can use the fanciest high-tech cutting tool, but if you're still only addressing the soft palate, then you may not be as uncomfortable after the surgery, but your results will still be poor. A good surgeon should make every attempt to make sure that you gave CPAP or oral appliances a thorough try, even to the point of avoiding surgery altogether. However, some people will have no choice but to consider surgery, and the good sleep apnea surgeon should be able to tell you with reasonable confidence whether a UPPP alone is sufficient, or you need additional nasal or tongue base procedures (which most people do). This is a long discussion in itself.

[Mac33]

Someone asked about plasma blade surgery and I found this discussion. Just wanted to chime in. There are different uses of plasma field technology with various companies offering difference products. What they used in "The Doctors" is a Coblation device, which is technically not a blade. Peak Surgical has a device that's really a cutting blade. Twenty years ago, everyone wanted the laser, and some people still ask about it, even though it's an older technology that's not used that much in sleep apnea surgery.

Ultimately, it's not how advanced the technology is that determines whether or not your surgery is successful. If you had a surgeon that uses the traditional Bovie cautery and gets excellent results, then don't let the technical issues such as which cutting tool, type of suture, or how long it takes, affect your decision. A surgeon can use the fanciest high-tech cutting tool, but if you're still only addressing the soft palate, then you may not be as uncomfortable after the surgery, but your results will still be poor. A good surgeon should make every attempt to make sure that you gave CPAP or oral appliances a thorough try, even to the point of avoiding surgery altogether. However, some people will have no choice but to consider surgery, and the good sleep apnea surgeon should be able to tell you with reasonable confidence whether a UPPP alone is sufficient, or you need additional nasal or tongue base procedures (which most people do). This is a long discussion in itself.

Finally set up an appointment. I'm going for a consultation with Dr Park tomorrow Monday so he can scope my nasal issues and evaluate my whole anatomy as to where the obstruction(s) are. Would you guys rank Dr Park right up there with the best?

[roster]

Finally set up an appointment. I'm going for a consultation with Dr Park tomorrow Monday so he can scope my nasal issues and evaluate my whole anatomy as to where the obstruction(s) are. Would you guys rank Dr Park right up there with the best?

I very much like Dr. Park's wholistic approach and the broad and deep knowledge he has about SDB.

I don't know of anyone here who he has performed surgery on. If I were in NYC, I would take my whole family and myself for consultations with him.

Let us know how the consultation goes.

Thanks.

[roster]

A good surgeon should make every attempt to make sure that you gave CPAP or oral appliances a thorough try, even to the point of avoiding surgery altogether. However, some people will have no choice but to consider surgery, and the good sleep apnea surgeon should be able to tell you with reasonable confidence whether a UPPP alone is sufficient, or you need additional nasal or tongue base procedures (which most people do). This is a long discussion in itself.

Is there a point at which a tracheostomy should be considered?

[Mac33]

Finally set up an appointment. I'm going for a consultation with Dr Park tomorrow Monday so he can scope my nasal issues and evaluate my whole anatomy as to where the obstruction(s) are. Would you guys rank Dr Park right up there with the best?

I very much like Dr. Park's wholistic approach and the broad and deep knowledge he has about SDB.

I don't know of anyone here who he has performed surgery on. If I were in NYC, I would take my whole family and myself for consultations with him.

Let us know how the consultation goes.

Thanks.

Why the whole family? They have SBD too? I'll let you know how it goes...........