Dr. Thomaz Fleury Recognized as Inspire Physician of Excellence

Innovations in Ear, Nose & Throat | Fall 2025

Thomaz Fleury, MD, PhD

Thomaz Fleury, MD, PhD, was recently named an Inspire Physician of Excellence for his dedication to achieving outstanding outcomes and providing an exceptional patient experience with Inspire® therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Dr. Fleury is among a select group of physicians nationwide to receive this prestigious honor.

The well-deserved designation helps patients find providers who have taken steps to optimize the Inspire care pathway, offering their patients a best-in-class experience with the implantable hypoglossal nerve stimulation device.

“The recognition is exciting because it moves us closer to the next level, which is to become an Inspire Centre of Excellence,” says Dr. Fleury, an otolaryngologist and craniofacial surgeon within the University Hospitals Ear, Nose & Throat Institute.

Dr. Fleury joins Kenneth Vito, MD, FACS, a board-certified otolaryngologist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, as the health system’s second physician and one of the few in Ohio to earn the Physician of Excellence award.

Leading the Way with Inspire Therapy

OSA affects nearly one billion people worldwide, with estimates suggesting that up to 26 percent of U.S. adults aged 30 to 70 have the sleep disorder. While continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) remains the gold standard for OSA treatment, approximately half of patients prescribed CPAP are intolerant or noncompliant with it.

Patients who do not respond to conservative treatment, such as CPAP, may be candidates for Inspire surgery. Implanted just below the clavicle, the Inspire device delivers hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy to control tongue muscles and keep the airway open during sleep.

Once activated, Inspire stabilizes a patient's throat during sleep to prevent obstruction. The stimulator is controlled via a handheld remote. Patients turn on the device before bed to gently stimulate the throat muscles while sleeping.

Over 30 years ago, University Hospitals was the first health system to demonstrate that a fine-wire electrode placed into the hypoglossal nerve could provide airway control. UH physicians later participated in Phase 3 trials of the Inspire device, which received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2014.

Inspire V

Dr. Fleury was one of the first surgeons in Ohio to implant Inspire V, the latest neurostimulator from Inspire Medical Systems, approved by the FDA in 2024. A key improvement over earlier models is the elimination of a sensing lead, which is replaced with an integrated respiratory sensor that monitors breathing patterns and tracks patient data.

“This is exciting for surgeons because we do not have to go deep into the musculature near the lungs to deploy the second lead,” Dr. Fleury says. “The result is a faster, less-invasive surgery with fewer post-op complications.”

Continued Program Growth

Corissa Chang, MD, DDS, has been accepted into a new Sleep Surgery Fellowship within the UH Ear, Nose & Throat Institute. Dr. Chang will begin in the summer of 2026. She is currently completing a residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania.

“This is a one-year program following the mold of the Stanford Sleep Surgery Fellowship, where I completed my training,” Dr. Fleury says. “Sleep surgery is a field that brings together ENT, pulmonology and dentistry specialists, so it is very exciting to welcome someone with Dr. Chang’s expertise as we continue to grow a strong Sleep Medicine program.”

Jessica Schweiger, PA-C, has joined University Hospitals as a dedicated physician assistant for sleep surgery. “Jessica will help us as a division to provide better service for our patients,” Dr. Fleury says. “She will support our clinical practice and provide follow-up care for our surgical patients.”

For more information, contact Dr. Fleury at Thomaz.FleuryCurado@UHhospitals.org.  

Contributing Expert:
Thomaz Fleury, MD, PhD
Otolaryngologist and Craniofacial Surgeon
University Hospitals Ear, Nose & Throat Institute
Assistant Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine