Inspire® Therapy Implantation Discharge Instructions

If your child has recently had a procedure to implant an Inspire® therapy device to treat obstructive sleep apnea, this guide offers best practices for after surgery.

Your child’s surgical site may have been injected with a numbing medicine, which should provide pain relief for six to eight hours after surgery. During this six to eight hour period, it is important to make a plan with your provider for continued pain management. Pain medicine may be necessary for one to three days after surgery.

For more information on pain management once you leave the hospital, please see our page on Managing Your Child's Pain at Home After Surgery. For adult patients, see Adult Pain Management at Home Following Surgery.

To care for your child’s incision site, look at the dressings (usually Steri-Strips or Dermabond) on the area before you leave the hospital, so you know what the site should look like.

Over the 48 hours after leaving the hospital, check the site three to four times. If you notice any bleeding or leaking under the edge of the clear dressing, call Telehealth Nursing at 651-229-3890. Do not remove the clear dressing or Steri-Strips. They will start to fall off on their own in 10-14 days. If they do not fall off on their own, your surgeon will remove any dressings that are still left at the 1 to 2-week post-surgery incision check.

Your child’s site dressing can get wet, but to help the incision heal, they should not shower until 48 hours after surgery.

Keep the incision area clean and dry. Protect the incision area from sun exposure using sunscreen or clothing for at least eight months after surgery to reduce scarring. 

For the first six weeks after surgery, your child should not run, jump, play on playgrounds, or ride a bike or any wheeled toy. They should only do activities that require walking, with both feet on the ground.  

Your child can begin sitting upright in a chair or wheelchair as tolerated, beginning the day after surgery.  

Depending on their comfort level, your child may go back to school two to five days after surgery.

Please call Gillette Telehealth Nursing at 651-229-3890 if your child experiences any of the following:

• Behavioral or personality changes
• Dizziness
• Changes in alertness or level of consciousness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Vision changes, such as double or blurred vision
• Headaches
• Numbness or tingling in their arms and/or legs
• Confusion
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite or stomach pain
• Difficulty with speech
• Change in activity or school/work performance