Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved for use in the U.S. Inspire’s new sensing lead. Inspire intends to introduce the new sensing lead to its U.S. medical center customers in March 2019.   The sensing lead monitors a patient’s respiratory pattern as the implanted Inspire system delivers stimulation to the upper airway in order to prevent obstructions during sleep. The new sensing lead has a significantly smaller profile, including a reduction in diameter of 49%, as compared to the prior design. This smaller profile is intended to improve the patient’s comfort. The new design also incorporates several features to enable easier implanting and potentially reduce surgical time for an ENT surgeon.