An upper airway stimulator has a small pulse generator the surgeon puts under the skin in your upper chest. A wire leading to one of your lungs picks up on your natural breathing pattern. Another wire, leading up to your neck, delivers mild stimulation to nerves that control airway muscles, keeping them open. You use a remote to turn it on before bed and turn it off when you wake up in the morning.
A doctor can also program the device from an external remote.