ClinicalTrials.gg
Enrolling by invitationNCT04129229Updated Oct 9, 2024

LinguaFlex Tongue Retractor (LTR) for the Treatment of OSA and Snoring in Adults

An interventional study of LinguaFlex Tongue Retractor (LTR) in Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Snoring, sponsored by Linguaflex, Inc.. Enrolling by invitation at 3 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-10-09.

Sponsored by Linguaflex, Inc. · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Dec 2025, 11 months ago, but the record still lists the study as enrolling by invitation.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
80
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The LinguaFlex™ Tongue Retractor (LTR) is an investigational medical device that is inserted into the tongue to lessen its backward movement during sleep. This helps to keep the airway open during sleep so that the tongue doesn't block the airway causing obstructive apnea or narrow it enough to cause snoring. This study will monitor the effectiveness of the LTR device in the reduction of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and snoring over the course of a one-year treatment period.

Read the detailed description

The study design is a multi-site, prospective, open-label, non-randomized, single-arm clinical study to test the efficacy of the LinguaFlex Tongue Retractor for the treatment of moderate to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) (AHI ≥15 at baseline) in adult subjects in twelve (12) months of continuous use. The study will include three (3) investigational sites that will implant a maximum of eighty (80) subjects with the LTR. No single site is to perform more than 35 implants. After informed consent is obtained, eligible subjects (adults who have moderate to severe OSA) will be screened for study inclusion. The screening will consist of a Home Sleep Test (HST) completed within four (4) months of inclusion in the study to confirm the diagnosis of moderate to severe OSA, an Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) assessment, Snoring Self-Assessment (SOS) with bed partner input (SBPS), assessment of pain, speech and swallowing, and a physical examination. The screening data will be reviewed by the Sponsor's designated study monitor to confirm and approve that inclusion criteria are fully met. Failure to meet all inclusion criteria will be designated as a screen failure and the subject's enrollment will be terminated. Participation in the study is voluntary. Subjects may withdraw at any time during the study. Reasons for the withdrawal will be recorded and entered into the clinical study report. Any subject who withdraws from the study for any reason will have the device removed and will undergo a Post Device Removal Follow-Up within 30 days (-7/+ 15) of device removal.

02

Conditions studied

  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea
  • Snoring
03

In context

Sleep Apnea, Obstructive

2,240 studies on the registry are indexed under Sleep Apnea, Obstructive; 475 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 80 is above the median of 52 across 1,472 interventional studies indexed under Sleep Apnea, Obstructive.

Browse Sleep Apnea, Obstructive studies →

Lead sponsor

Linguaflex, Inc. is the lead sponsor of 2 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Subjects able to read, understand and sign consent
  • Subjects 18 years or older with:

    1. Moderate to severe OSA (AHI of ≥ 15 to ≤ 50 as determined by a Diagnostic PSG recording within 2 months of inclusion)
    2. Subject agrees not to use any type of additional OSA therapy including PAP therapy throughout the course of the study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects who meet any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in the clinical trial:

  • \< 18 years of age
  • AHI \< 15(mild OSA)
  • AHI > 50
  • Subjects with > 20% of AHI score accounted for from central apnea
  • More than 10% of Total Sleep Time (TST) with blood O2 saturation (SaO2) below 70%
  • Subjects successfully treated with prescribed PAP therapy
  • Tonsillar hypertrophy ≥3
  • Subjects with significant active comorbid respiratory or cardiac disease (such as or Heart Failure)
  • Subjects requiring regular use of supplemental oxygen
  • Nasal airway obstruction as seen on examination
  • Congenital malformations of the upper airway, larynx, pharynx, oral cavity or tongue
  • Narrowing of hypopharynx airspace more than velopharyngeal airspace as seen on examination (suspected epiglottic obstruction)
  • History of radiation therapy to the neck or upper respiratory tract
  • Subjects with bleeding disorders, unresolved impaired immunity for any reason, or heart attack within the last six months
  • Subjects with an existing tongue stud/piercing
  • Females who are pregnant (anesthesia risk)
  • Allergy to LTR materials (Silicone, PEEK, Polyurethane)
  • Subjects who have in the surgeon's judgment unusual anatomy that would interfere with treatment or increase the risk for the procedure
  • Unable and/or unwilling to comply with study requirements
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
80 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    LTR Treatment

    Eligible subjects will undergo insertion of the LTR device in their tongue. Initiation of treatment will occur 7 days post insertion procedure and will be monitored over the course of 1 year.

    Device: LinguaFlex Tongue Retractor (LTR)

Interventions

  • DeviceLinguaFlex Tongue Retractor (LTR)

    The LinguaFlex Tongue Retractor (LTR) is a small, flexible, implanted tongue retaining device that lessens the backward movement of the tongue during sleep. The LTR's flexible shaft and a nubbed tether passes through the center of the tongue beneath the tongue blade (frenulum area) and connects to a disc (head) that rests on the external surface of the tongue base mucosa. Underneath the tongue, on the external surface of the frenulum, a small anchor secures the shaft that can be adjusted to tension the LTR to maximize therapeutic effect and maintain comfort.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Responder to Therapy

    Determine the responder rate to therapy. A responder is defined as a subject who experiences a ≥ 50% reduction in AHI from baseline and has an AHI \< 20 at the 12-month follow-up visit. Subjects with an AHI ≤ 20 at baseline will be considered a responder if a 50% reduction in AHI is achieved from baseline.

    Time frame: One Year

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)

    Determine the change in Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) from the baseline control measurement and determine the proportion of study subjects that achieve an ESS value of ≤ 10 at the twelve-month follow-up. ((ESS is a validated instrument that rates a subject's daytime sleepiness and is commonly used in clinical evaluation and management of OSA as a quality of life measurement. Scores range from 0 to 24, with lower scores indicating greater functioning. An ESS \< 10 is considered normal subjective sleepiness.)

    Time frame: One Year

  2. Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) Responder

    Determine the Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) responder rate at the twelve-month follow-up visit. An ODI responder is defined as a subject which demonstrates at least a 25% reduction in ODI from the baseline control measurement at the 12-month follow-up visit. Change in ODI will be reported as a percentage change from baseline for each subject as well as the mean percentage change for the entire cohort.

    Time frame: One Year

Other outcomes

  1. Quality of Life Metric - Pain

    Examine the tolerance and comfort of the implanted LTR. Pain will be assessed at each follow-up visit using a 10 point Visual Analog Scale (0 no pain - 10 worst pain) and will be compared to the baseline measurement.

    Time frame: At each follow-up visit over the course of 1 year

  2. Quality of Life Metric - Speech and Swallowing

    Examine the tolerance and comfort of the implanted LTR. Comfort with speech and swallowing will be assessed using the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients (PSS-HN). This scale consists of three individual scores for Normalcy of Diet, Eating in Public and Understanding of Speech. In each case a score of 100 indicates normal function and 0 indicates the most limited function.

    Time frame: At each follow-up visit over the course of 1 year.

  3. Quality of Life Metric - Snoring

    Examine the change in snoring from the baseline control measurement. Snoring will be assessed using the Snore Outcome Survey (SOS) and the Spouse/Bed Partner Survey (SBPS). The SOS is a series of 8 questions with a score range of 0 - 100; with 0 representing the worst possible snoring and 100 representing no snoring. The Spouse Bed Partner Survey is a series of 3 questions with a score range of 0 - 100; with a score of 0 representing the worst possible snoring and 100 representing no snoring.

    Time frame: At each follow-up visit over the course of 1 year.

07

Study locations

3 sites
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — No data will be shared with other researchers.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 9, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04129229
Lead sponsor
Linguaflex, Inc.
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 16, 2019
Start date
Jan 10, 2020
Primary completion
Dec 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Apr 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 9, 2024

Study contacts

Ira Sanders, MD
study director · Linguaflex, Inc.

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.

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