Sleep Tech Tip of the Week
By Michael Miller, RPSGT
Artifact can be defined as an unwanted signal interfering with a channel on a PSG or EEG exam. One of the most prevalent and menacing artifacts most often observed is EKG artifact. EKG artifact is classified by an EKG waveform appearing in channels other than the actual EKG channel. EKG artifact is usually caused by a lead or electrode being place on a site where the patients pulse is evident. (more…)
Sleep Tech Tip of The Week:
By Michael Miller, RPSGT
It does not matter whether you have been a medical professional for 30 days or 30 years, at some point you will or have encountered patients that possess what I like to call “strong personalities”. Simply put, some of the people we come across not only professionally but also personally are not necessarily the most pleasant folks in the world to deal with. As sleep professionals, our occupational duties can be made more difficult when abrasive attitudes and noncompliance issues challenge the multifaceted job that we choose to perform. (more…)
Sleep Tech Tip of the Week
By Michael Miller, RPSGT
I recently received a question from a colleague of mine asking a question about the correlation between transient sleep apnea and the efficacy of CPAP as it relates to pregnancy. I thought that this topic would make a good discussion for this week’s sleep tech tip of the week.
I have performed numerous CPAP titrations, but I only recall one such scenario that relates specifically to this particular topic. My patient was in her second trimester of pregnancy and had complaints of snoring, morning headaches, restless sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness. She explained that she had gained 30 pounds since becoming pregnant and felt that her symptoms were directly related to her weight gain. Although she was absolutely correct in her assumption, she had no clue that sleep apnea was the culprit. (more…)
By Dr. Geraldo Nunes Vieira Rizzo
Today´s young students have at least two good reasons to remember the North American Thomas Alva Edison. The first reason is the fact that he was a brilliant student and the greatest inventor of all times. Many of his teachers believed that he had a dysfunctional brain disease, since he always wanted to know the reasons of the facts and demanded detailed explanations of what was taught. Besides that, he invented the electric light bulb and introduced on October 21st, 1879 the Modern Age of the Light. (more…)
Sleep Tech Tip of the Week
by Angela Terry, RPSGT
Sleep apnea is one of the most common, yet most under-diagnosed disorders among the population. A more obvious health concern is obesity. All types of people are battling obesity and many are failing. There could be an underlying reason that even some doctors, are not considering. The most prevalent risk factor for sleep apnea is obesity but could sleep apnea be a risk factor for obesity? My answer is yes. Here’s why….
From my first day in the sleep lab in 2001, our patients were well over two hundred and fifty pounds, some reaching as much as six hundred. These people were experiencing all types of issues secondary to obesity so were ordered by their doctors to lose weight. The weight loss order was easier said than done. Patients were struggling to eat right while exercise was an even bigger challenge, due to their size. Even the ones that were complying with these regimens were seeing very little, if any, progress. It wasn’t until they received their CPAP machine and treating their sleep apnea that certain people were able to start losing weight. Interesting to say the least, but why? (more…)