A polysomnographic technologist (formerly called a polysomnographic technician ) performs overnight, daytime, or home sleep studies, polysomnograms , on people with suspected sleep disorders . In the United States and worldwide, the process for becoming a polysomnography technician or technologist is primarily either on-the-job or certificate based. There are associate level programs offered by for-profit schools that award a degree in polysomnography technology in the United States, though not necessary to attain employment with the same title. After an education program or adequate on-the-job training is complete, the student is eligible for credentialing by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT), a non-profit credentialing agency based in the United States but serving polysomnographers worldwide. The BRPT maintains credentialing for over 35 countries including Canada and the United States as well as over 17,000 individuals working in the industry.
20-589: Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) is a certification awarded by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists in the US. The RPSGT credential certifies its holder is regarded by the BRPT as fully competent to work in the field of sleep studies . Most RPSGTs conduct sleep studies on patients. Some RPSGTs score sleep studies. Basically scoring a study means summarizing it, so it can be used by others involved in
40-549: A Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT). The CRT applicant must have six months experience in sleep studies and the RRT applicant must have three months in sleep studies. Both the CRT and RRT applicants must pass an examination. The holder of the SDS credential then appends this abbreviation to his CRT or RRT credential, thus becoming a CRT-SDS or RRT-SDS. Sleep studies A sleep study
60-412: A key role in the breakdown of organic matter in soils. Higher oxygen saturation allows aerobic bacteria to persist, which breaks down decaying organic material in soils much more efficiently than anaerobic bacteria. Thus, soils with high oxygen saturation will have less organic matter per volume than those with low oxygen saturation. Environmental oxygenation can be important to the sustainability of
80-470: A particular ecosystem . The US Environmental Protection Agency has published a table of maximum equilibrium dissolved oxygen concentration versus temperature at atmospheric pressure. The optimal levels in an estuary for dissolved oxygen is higher than six ppm. Insufficient oxygen ( environmental hypoxia ), often caused by the decomposition of organic matter and nutrient pollution , may occur in bodies of water such as ponds and rivers , tending to suppress
100-668: A proportion of the maximal concentration that can be dissolved in that medium at the given temperature. It can be measured with a dissolved oxygen probe such as an oxygen sensor or an optode in liquid media, usually water. The standard unit of oxygen saturation is percent (%). Oxygen saturation can be measured regionally and noninvasively. Arterial oxygen saturation (Sa O 2 ) is commonly measured using pulse oximetry . Tissue saturation at peripheral scale can be measured using NIRS . This technique can be applied on both muscle and brain. In medicine , oxygen saturation refers to oxygenation , or when oxygen molecules ( O 2 ) enter
120-571: Is a test that records the activity of the body during sleep . There are five main types of sleep studies that use different methods to test for different sleep characteristics and disorders. These include simple sleep studies, polysomnography , multiple sleep latency tests (MSLTs), maintenance of wakefulness tests (MWTs), and home sleep tests (HSTs). In medicine, sleep studies have been useful in identifying and ruling out various sleep disorders . Sleep studies have also been valuable to psychology, in which they have provided insight into brain activity and
140-552: Is usually performed immediately after an overnight study. This test is the standard to test for narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia. This test measures whether a person can stay awake during a time when she or he is normally awake. Like the MSLT, the MWT is performed in a sleep diagnostic center over 4 - 5 nap periods. A mean sleep onset latency of less than 10 minutes is suggestive of excessive daytime sleepiness. These typically include
160-664: Is valid for only three years. By that time the CPSGT holder must earn the RPSGT certification, as the CPSGT cannot be renewed. To become a CPSGT, one must pass an examination. To be eligible for the exam, one must have worked full-time for three months in polysomnography and have taken the AASM A-STEP Self-Learning Modules. The AASM is the American Academy of Sleep Medicine . To maintain the CPSGT,
180-413: The sleep medicine field. The RPSGT candidate may qualify for the credentialing examination by a variety of paths. Depending on the qualifying path taken, one must work for a minimum of six to eighteen months full-time in polysomnography to be eligible for the examination. As of December 2014 the BRPT listed over 21,000 holders of the RPSGT credential. The credential is valid for five years. To renew it,
200-403: The tissues of the body. In this case blood is oxygenated in the lungs , where oxygen molecules travel from the air into the blood. Oxygen saturation (( O 2 ) sats) measures the percentage of hemoglobin binding sites in the bloodstream occupied by oxygen. Fish, invertebrates, plants, and aerobic bacteria all require oxygen. In aquatic environments, oxygen saturation is a ratio of
220-595: The Sleep Disorders Specialist (SDS) credential in 2007. The NBRC initiated this credential, in spite of the fact that the Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) credential was widely accepted in the field of sleep medicine. This initially caused conflict amongst various organizations in the sleep field. To earn the SDS credential, the applicant must first be a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) or
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#1732801891336240-407: The brain, spinal cord, and nerves. A medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. A medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of lung and breathing disorders. Oxygen saturation Oxygen saturation (symbol S O 2 ) is a relative measure of the concentration of oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium as
260-438: The concentration of "dissolved oxygen " (DO, O 2 ), to the maximum amount of oxygen that will dissolve in that water body, at the temperature and pressure which constitute stable equilibrium conditions. Well-aerated water (such as a fast-moving stream) without oxygen producers or consumers is 100% saturated. Stagnant water can become somewhat supersaturated with oxygen (i.e., reach more than 100% saturation) either because of
280-421: The flow of air through the mouth and nose, snoring, body muscle movements, and chest and belly movement. These tests are typically done at night in a hospital or sleep center. Polysomnogram tests can give insight into what issue is occurring. The MSLT measures, by several nap opportunities in one day, how long it takes a person to fall asleep. It also determines whether REM sleep appears upon falling asleep. It
300-493: The holder must earn 50 continuing education credits (CECs) or retake the credentialing exam. Two major sources in the US for obtaining CECs are the American Association of Sleep Technologists (AAST) and the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC). In the US, certification is awarded by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT). The CPSGT is considered a transitional certification. It
320-546: The holder must earn ten continuing education credits (CECs) per year. Major sources for obtaining CECs are the American Association of Sleep Technologists and the American Association for Respiratory Care. Registered sleep technologists (RST) are sleep specialists who have been granted the certification by the American Board of Sleep Medicine . The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) developed
340-403: The individual whose sleep is being studied receiving a portable monitor and may include other items such as a finger clip and an airflow sensor. Items measured include oxygen saturation , heart rate, airflow, body movement, time spent snoring, sleep position, and brain waves. Sleep studies have been imperative for the empirical research of sleep psychology. The area of sleep psychology evaluates
360-531: The other physiological factors of both sleep disorders and normal sleep. This has allowed further research to be done on the relationship between sleep and behavioral and psychological factors. Depending on the method being used, sleep studies can help diagnose or rule out the following disorders: The most common sleep studies are: Polysomnography records several body functions during sleep, including brain activity, eye movement, oxygen and carbon dioxide blood levels, heart rate and rhythm, breathing rate and rhythm,
380-613: The physiological, and behavioral factors of normal sleep and sleep disorders along with the neuroscience and brain-wave activity associated with sleep, as well as the study of circadian rhythms . Sleep Specialists are doctors that are board certified in sleep medicine. Doctors qualified to order a sleep study include: A doctor who provides first contact for a person with a health concern. Board-certified sleep medicine doctors have undergone special training and testing to ensure they can diagnose all sleep-related disorders, including sleep apnea. The neurologist treats disorders that affect
400-401: The presence of photosynthetic aquatic oxygen producers or because of a slow equilibration after a change of atmospheric conditions. Stagnant water in the presence of decaying matter will typically have an oxygen concentration much less than 100%, which is due to anaerobic bacteria being much less efficient at breaking down organic material. Similarly as in water, oxygen concentration also plays
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