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Help For Sinusitis: Vent-Os
– Reported, December 30 2014
31-million Americans suffer from sinusitis, a condition that causes headaches, congestion, sore throat and fatigue. Until now patients only had two treatment options: harsh medications or major surgery. Now theres a new tiny but powerful solution.
Andrea Leighton loves staying fit and she loves doing it outdoors! But for 15 years, symptoms of sinusitis put a damper on her active lifestyle.Submit
Leighton told Ivanhoe, It was like my head was going to explode. The right side was super-packed, really, really painful.
She suffered episodes at least once a month.
Basically stuck cold ice packs on my head for an entire day and spent the day in bed Leighton explained.
Until now, patients like Andrea were treated with steroids, antibiotics, or major surgery. Doctor Jerome Hester, MD, ENT of California Sinus Institute is offering his patients something new.
Its an opportunity to treat all kinds of patients at different levels of the disease Jerome Hester, M.D., otolaryngologist and surgeon, specializing in rhinology and the treatment of sinus disorders, at the California Sinus Institute, told Ivanhoe.
The Vent-Os device is only the size of a grain of rice, but when its implanted in the sinus, it uses a method known as osmosis to suck up fluids and open the blocked sinus passage.
It expands the opening to the sinus to a size that we know is able to provide relief of symptoms for the long-term Dr. Hester explained.
The capsule is inserted at the doctors office for an hour and is then removed. Studies show 93-percent of patients still had visibly clear sinuses one year after their treatment.
Andrea hasnt had any sinus headaches since she received the treatment.
It took an hour and a half, and I really didnt feel any pain Leighton said.
Now she can literally smell the roses, without worrying about her sinuses!
The Vent-Os device is FDA cleared. Patients typically need just topical anesthesia. Doctors say its ideal for those whose symptoms are not severe enough for major surgery but do not want to suffer from the side effects of long-term antibiotic and steroid use.