By Linda Satter
LITTLE ROCK — Patrick Fraley, M.D., a board-certified otolaryngologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), has been recognized as an Inspire Physician of Excellence.
He is the only physician in Arkansas and one of only 50 surgeons nationwide to receive the designation by Inspire Medical Systems, Inc., the maker of a small implantable device by the same name. It serves as an alternative for people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea who can’t find relief with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
CPAP machines use a hose connected to a mask or a nosepiece to deliver constant and steady air pressure, keeping users’ breathing airways open while they sleep. But some patients find the apparatus too bulky and uncomfortable, while others complain of skin irritation, sores, congestion, headaches, runny nose, dry mouth, nosebleeds or infections.
