GREELEY, Colo. (Jan. 6, 2025) – Banner Health is expanding access to sleep health services in Northern Colorado with the arrival of Ivy M. Andersen, MD, a board-certified sleep medicine physician. Dr. Andersen brings experience evaluating and managing Inspire® therapy, the FDA-approved sleep apnea treatment that uses a small, implanted device to help keep the airway open during sleep.
Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder, where breathing repeatedly stops and restarts throughout the night, often because the tongue relaxes to the extent that it is blocking the airway. This deprives the body of oxygen and disrupts sleep. Inspire therapy is a surgical treatment performed by surgeons in which a small battery is placed under the skin of the chest, with a thin wire that wraps around the nerve that controls the tongue. When the patient breathes in during sleep, the device delivers a gentle pulse that moves the tongue forward to help keep the airway open. Patients turn the device on at night using a handheld remote held over the chest, allowing time to fall asleep before stimulation begins. Dr. Andersen’s role is to evaluate candidates, prepare them for the procedure and manage the device once activated.
Dr. Andersen is currently seeing patients across Banner clinics in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley, specializing in working with individuals who have struggled with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, which is the standard treatment for sleep apnea…