Welcome to my podcast. I am Doctor Warrick Bishop, and I want to help you to live as well as possible for as long as possible. I’m a practising cardiologist, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and the creator of The Healthy Heart Network. I have over 20 years as a specialist cardiologist and a private practice of over 10,000 patients.

EP407: The Complexity of OSA with Kirk Huntsman

Dr. Warwick hosts this episode featuring Kirk Huntsman, a businessman and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the sleep apnea space and connection to Vivos Therapeutics, a company developing devices for obstructive sleep apnea treatment. The episode explores the widespread prevalence, warning signs, and innovative treatment options for OSA, a condition affecting approximately one in eight people globally that can significantly impact cognitive function, quality of life, and longevity.

Key Takeaways:

• Obstructive sleep apnea affects over a billion people worldwide (one in eight people) and can impact individuals across all ages, ethnicities, and body types, not just overweight middle-aged men as previously stereotyped.

• Moderate to severe sleep apnea significantly reduces life expectancy and quality of life, leaving patients never fully awake during the day and never fully asleep at night, preventing them from being "fully alive."

• Key warning signs of OSA include excessive daytime drowsiness, unrefreshed morning awakenings, restless sleep, snoring, specific neck measurements (17 inches in men, 14 inches in women), narrow upper palate, crooked teeth, and postural issues.

• Home sleep testing devices now make diagnosis accessible and convenient, eliminating the need for overnight stays at sleep clinics and allowing physicians to render accurate diagnoses from home-based data.

• Vivos Therapeutics develops oral appliances that non-surgically remodel the airway to address OSA at its root cause, potentially eliminating the need for lifelong CPAP use after 9-12 months of treatment.

• Two main types of oral appliance treatments exist: mandibular advancement devices (MAD) that reposition the lower jaw forward, and Vivos rehabilitation and restoration devices, which are the only FDA-cleared option for severe sleep apnea.

• Smartphone apps and wearable devices serve as valuable screening and monitoring tools but are not yet diagnostic-grade; they should prompt further evaluation with formal sleep testing.

• Treatment requires coordination between experienced medical physicians and specially trained dentists, as OSA is a complex, potentially life-threatening disorder requiring expertise and individualized care rather than simplified "plug and play" solutions.

• Modern home sleep testing technology and multiple treatment options make it feasible and important to request sleep testing as part of routine annual physical examinations.