Swiss Invention

Greetings all

I have been around this forum actively or lurking for well over five years. Many will know me. I live in Switzerland and thus was informed by my wife today that a new method was described in a Swiss TV broadcast yesterday evening. I located the website this morning and checked it out. It sounds promising. It is unlike any other non-CPAP method so far developed. I thought there would be interest here is the URL:

http://www.velumount.com.au/en

Needless to say, I have nothing to do with this company whatsoever.

The method is effective in reducing snoring but has also been show to be remarkably effective in treating full-blown sleep apnea, even for those with an AHI of 60. There were interviews with people for the TV documentary and they sounded very happy with the results. The inventor himself, was put on a CPAP when he was 45 years old. That's why he started inventing

I am still researching this, but it obviously needs to be confirmed with a sleep study after the device has been fitted. I don't think it works for all and for some it may work better than for others. The device can be fitted independently of one's dental condition - even works for those with dentures. It is a new concept. Check it out.

Excellent. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. There is also a FB page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Velumoun ... 0722510151

dkeat, It says CE approved. Are there practitioners in Europe?

In the U.S. I can easily imagine that our out-of-control bureaucracy, the FDA, will make it very expensive to be approved and take many years. This might be worth a side trip when I am in Europe on business. I have no business in Australia.

Thanks again,

Yes, if you look at the web site there are little flags somewhere at the top right, I believe. Those are the countries where it is available, including in Switzerland in nearly all the major cities. The device has been approved by Swiss Medic which is an official agency for the approval of medical devices in this country. I chose the Australian flag so that you would get a language that you could understand. If you speak German I can send you a link to the TV broadcast I referred to. In fact here it is for what it's worth. The pictures alone speak volumes:

http://www.videoportal.sf.tv/video?id=4 ... 1a7255fcd4

It's a bit weird for me. I just bought a new Resmed S9 with humidifier and now this comes along right where I'm living. The device is simple and cheap. Getting set up involves workshops and consulting, a sleep study to confirm the results. After that one of the "devices" costs about $15.00.

Dave

That's great. I will look at the video later this week but will only be able to understand a little of the German.

What seems to be critical for each individual is that the device addresses the soft palate but apparently not blockages caused by the tongue. I speculate it could be a 100% effective treatment for some and entirely ineffective for others.

I sometimes mouthbreathe at night (when nasal congestion is present) and wonder if the device stays in place and maintains its effectiveness when the mouth is open?

In any case if one tries the device and it doesn't work, the investment made is very small. Well worth the risk.

Thanks again.

(Damn you U.S. FDA )

You might be right at that. I'm not much of an OSA expert. I just plug myself in at night and hit the button. It works. I did, however, ask myself the same question. I guess if it's your tongue collapsing and causing the obstruction, you're still screwed. But that's just a very uneducated guess. I watched two TV documentaries today on the product and the people (OSA "patients") were very upbeat about it. There was an implication in the documentaries that it DID work for OSA and that it was being resisted by commercial and medical (same thing) interests. Like I said, though, I really have no horse in this race. This is purely for informational purposes.

Dave

If somebody understand German here it would be very kind if we can have a short explanation from the video. I watch it and it looks interesting.

Thanks

There is a link to an English language website in the first posting which has all the information.

The video looked interesting. I just don't know if I could stand the gag factor. I can't even stand for a doctor to put that flat stick in my mouth for a couple of seconds.

Fascinating in its simplicity!

In this video on youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boQ5p7t4SVE , you can see the Velumount goes behind the soft palate and the central "U" seems to fit behind the uvula.

As far as the gag factor, the sensitive position in most people is well behind the soft palate. You can get an idea about your own case by taking a non-abrasive object (I use the handle end of a clean tootbrush) and rubbing it across you uvula and the soft palate on either side. In the case of most people there will be no gag factor. Now take the object and rub further down into the throat. You likely need to go an inch to and inch and a half beyond the uvula to stimulate the gagging effect.

In the youtube video they show a patient drinking water with the Velumount device in place. Swallowing the water is uneventful and the patient shrugs his shoulder as if it is no different than drinking water without the device in place.

Now let's compare this device to the UPPP surgery. UPPP surgery is dangerous, has a very difficult and very painful recovery, is irreversible, has permanent undesired side effects, is very expensive, and has a success rate reported to be 40%. In contrast, the Velumount is not at all dangerous, is not painful, has no permanent side effects, and is very inexpensive. The success rate (http://www.velumount.com.au/en/media-news), from what I could make out, is at least as good as standard UPPP.

Now is the time for Medicare and all insurance companies to cease paying for UPPP. The FDA should also immediately approve the Velumount device based on the CE approval.

(I also refer to this study:

CONCLUSIONS: The Velumount device is effective for the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. The effect is similar to that reported from uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19420980

)

NightMonkey wrote: You likely need to go an inch to and inch and a half beyond the uvula to stimulate the gagging effect.

I must be unusual then... I can easily gag myself just brushing my teeth, especially when I'm brushing my tongue.

pitrow wrote:

NightMonkey wrote: You likely need to go an inch to and inch and a half beyond the uvula to stimulate the gagging effect.

I must be unusual then... I can easily gag myself just brushing my teeth, especially when I'm brushing my tongue.

That makes two of us. Just thinking about this makes me gag.

I've often through that some kind of "throat stent" for CPAP is an interesting idea. I don't see how you'd get around the gag reflex. Then there would be irritation/infection questions. Plus would it prevent you from swallowing or make you tend to aspirate food or drink? Would it be something the patient puts in his mouth every night?

I hope this product does turn out to be viable.

However, I'm a bit skeptical there may be a lot of marketing and hype involved with this gadget. I found one study that was claiming some sort of "effective" AHI based on higher compliance with this gadget vs. CPAP.

I still think I'd rather put a mask over my nose than put that thing in my mouth. I'm with pitrow and blackspinner on this one.

If I stick a q-tip in my ear just so, I get queasy.
They say it is caused by parallel nerves close together.
The tongue brushing may be related? --but what do I know with this tongue?

Hello everyone,

After finding this forum and reading a good part of the comments made, I could no longer refrain from clarifying a few points. Firstly I must mention that as the General Manager of Velumount P/L in Australia, obviously I have a vested interested in the Velumount device but I do not see this as a problem as I am not associated with any products currently available in the USA nor is it my intention to promote any particular product.

In regards to the various flags showing on the top of all of our websites, if you click on the appropriate flag, you will enter the website of that country. On the Swiss website, you can view the recently posted video which appeared on Swiss TV recently. The video gives an excellent picture of how the device works and also shows that it is not everybody's "cup of tea". There is also a Velumount YouTube video which was produced in the Netherlands which is 4 minutes long which shows an actual workshop fitting of the device.

The previously mentioned Velumount Facebook page in Australia also has a discussion forum where you are welcome to participate. This is especially for English speaking people as we are aware that this it is much needed. However you are also welcome to comment in German. Cheers.