Soft-palate implants for obstructive sleep apnoea

Summary

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on soft-palate implants for obstructive sleep apnoea.

Description

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), or obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome, is characterised by repeated, reversible episodes of apnoea and hypopnoea during sleep, loud snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness.

The procedure is usually performed under local anaesthesia. A hollow introducer needle containing the implant is used to pierce the soft palate, close to the junction with the hard palate, reaching into the muscle layer. The needle is then withdrawn, leaving the implant in position. Typically two or three implants are inserted in a single procedure, at the midline of the soft palate or parallel to it. The aim of the procedure is to stiffen the soft palate over subsequent weeks as a result of fibrosis.

OPCS4.6 Code(s):

F32.8 Other operations on palate

Y02.1 Implantation of prosthesis into organ NOC

The NHS Classifications Service has advised NICE that currently these are the most suitable OPCS-4 codes to describe this procedure. The OPCS-4 classification is designed to categorise procedures for analysis and it is not always possible to identify a procedure uniquely.

In addition the ICD-10 code G47.3 Sleep apnoea is assigned.

_{The NHS Classifications Service of NHS Connecting for Health is the central definitive source for clinical coding guidance and determines the coding standards associated with the classifications (OPCS-4 and ICD-10) to be used across the NHS.   The NHS Classifications Service and NICE work collaboratively to ensure the most appropriate classification codes are provided.  www.connectingforhealth.co.uk/clinicalcoding}

Details

Contact details:

Links:

	IPG241 Soft-palate implants for obstructive sleep apnoea : Guidance	28 November 2007
	IPG241 Soft-palate implants for obstructive sleep apnoea: guidance (web format)	10 February 2011
	IPG241 Soft-palate implants for obstructive sleep apnoea: Understanding NICE guidance	28 November 2007
	IPG241 Trin apnoea cwsg rhwystrol drwy osod mewnblaniadau yn nho'r geg - deall canllawiau NICE (fformat MS Word)	28 July 2008
	IPG241 Soft-palate implants for obstructive sleep apnoea: Understanding NICE guidance (MS word version)	28 November 2007
	Soft-palate implants for obstructive sleep apnoea (interventional procedures consultation)	24 July 2007
	Soft-palate implants for obstructive sleep apnoea (interventional procedures overview)	24 July 2007