Information for professionals
Information for professionals in German: Fachinformation
General Product Description
The SchnarchFrei System is a combination of:
- The SchnarchFrei App
- The SchnarchFrei UtilityPack (utensil package)
The SchnarchFrei Therapy is conducted through an exercise plan from the app. For about 1/3 of the exercises, the user needs logopedically proven utensils as accessories, which are provided in a separate package. For the sake of user compliance, these utensils can be ordered free of charge from ATC Handels GmbH in Germany as part of the DiGA onboarding process.
The SchnarchFrei App is a digital training program that strengthens and tightens the muscle structure in the mouth-throat-pharynx area, stabilizing the upper airway (pharyngeal tract) during sleep so it doesn’t slacken and the airflow remains continuously open. Cardinal symptoms for sleep-related breathing disorders are snoring sounds and apneas, which in turn can lead to daytime sleepiness, decreased alertness, microsleep, concentration weaknesses, attention deficits, general performance losses, and mental-cognitive failures (concentration weakness, thinking & memory skills). The SnoreFree program improves the breathing situation during sleep and enhances sleep quality.
The SchnarchFrei training program contains 48 validated logopedic exercises, shown to the patient in video form, guiding them through the execution of the exercises. Every day, the user receives a personalized training program of 4 exercises, which they should perform for 10-15 minutes daily.
The training is based on scientific principles and findings: the effect of oropharyngeal exercises on snoring, nocturnal airway obstructions, and sleep breathing has been demonstrated worldwide in several clinical studies.
Additionally, the app contains important information on:
- Anatomy and structure of the ENT tract
- Origins of snoring
- Physiology of sleep, sleep medicine
- Sleep hygiene
- Information on snoring prevention
- Extensive tips & tricks for healthy sleep
- Sleep diary Moreover, the SchnarchFrei App offers relaxing meditations to aid in falling asleep.
The foundation of the SchnarchFrei training is the myofunctional therapy from speech therapy, developed and successfully applied by the Viennese speech therapist Dario Lindes since 2008 in his therapeutic practice to numerous snoring and sleep apnea patients.
The medical software SchnarchFrei represents the digital implementation of this logopedic therapy approach.
The scientific validity of the myofunctional therapy for snoring patients was demonstrated in the clinical evaluation based on 10 articles, some of which are meta-analyses of existing literature.
Sources of Medical Content
This list offers an insight into research and guidelines on snoring and sleep apnea, including S3 guidelines, literature, and clinical studies. It highlights diagnostics, therapy, and the latest treatment approaches, an important resource for professionals and those affected.
Medical Purpose
The SchnarchFrei System is intended for myofunctional therapy of pharyngeal insufficiency (organic tissue weakness in the mouth-throat-pharynx area) as an important cause of snoring (rhonchopathy) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) for patients aged 18 and over.
Intended Use
The SchnarchFrei Therapy is designed to be used by medical laypersons in a non-clinical setting, e.g., at home. The software is suitable for patients aged 18 and over.
Indications
Sleep-related breathing disorders:
- Rhonchopathy
- OSAS (Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome)
ICD-10
- R06.5 – Snoring (Rhonchopathy)
- R06.83 (ICD-10-CM) – Snoring
- G47.31 – OSAS / Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome
ICD-11
- MD11.Y – Other specified abnormalities of breathing
- 7A41 – Obstructive sleep apnoea
Contraindications and Exclusion Criteria
All contraindications for the SchnarchFrei System are intended to prevent aspiration and swallowing of utensils.
A: Absolute exclusion criteria:
Swallowing disorders, covered under
- R13.0: Dysphagia requiring supervision during eating
- R13.9: Dysphagia, unspecified
In these cases, there is a sensory and/or motor control deficiency in the throat area, preventing patients from performing the swallowing action properly, often resulting in food particles entering the lungs. Therefore, the use of SchnarchFrei is absolutely contraindicated for this group of people!
(This syndrome is mainly present in neurological disorders, most often as a result of a stroke, but also other neurodegenerative diseases see below B.)
B: Relative contraindications:
With ICD-10 code
The conditional exclusion criteria include
All neuro-muscular diseases if their symptoms extend to the oropharyngeal area and dysphagia (swallowing disorder) can occur.
- G52.1: Diseases of the glossopharyngeal nerve [IX cranial nerve]
- G52.3: Diseases of the hypoglossal nerve [XII cranial nerve]
- G70-G73: Diseases of the neuromuscular junction and muscle
- G20-G26: Extrapyramidal and movement disorders
Intellectual disability, psychological-intellectual-cognitive impairment: Risk of misunderstanding the instructions and exercises, lack of (sensorimotor) awareness and self-control, leading to the risk of incorrect exercise performance – and risk of aspiration and swallowing:
- F71: Moderate intellectual disabilities
- F72: Severe intellectual disabilities
- F73: Profound intellectual disabilities
- F84: Pervasive developmental disorders
- F20-F29: Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders
- F10: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
- F11: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of opioids
- F12: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cannabinoids
- F13: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of sedatives or hypnotics
- F16: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of hallucinogens
- F19: Mental and behavioural disorders due to multiple substance use and use of other psychoactive substances
- F00-F09: Dementia and other organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders
Without ICD-10 code
Taking medications that cloud consciousness, alertness, cognitive performance, intellectual understanding, and sensory perception.
It is up to the discretion of the treating physician to decide whether the medical benefits of therapy with the SchnarchFrei System outweigh the risks for the respective patient, despite existing contraindications. Thus, patients with existing contraindications could not only benefit from improved sleep quality and reduced daytime sleepiness in terms of OSAS or Rhonchopathy, but also for the relief of the respective underlying disease.
Even with the above indications, no side effects are expected. Risks lie in the swallowing of utensils, e.g., if the therapy is carried out while intoxicated. In such a state, it would also be unlikely that the app could still be operated.
