GENERAL ASPECTS OF POLYSOMNOGRAPHIC MONITORING

Abstract

Polysomnography is a method to evaluate sleep that involves measurement of several physiological parameters related to time, when a patient is put to sleep at night or day.These parameters should be chosen concerning the clinical symptoms of the patient.  The tests are generally performed in sleep laboratories assisted by a trained technician. The technician or a sleep medicine specialist will review the data to perform sleep staging and events identification. The findings will be analyzed with the help of a sleep analysis software and interpreted by the sleep specialist in the light of the patient’s symptoms. Not all sleep problems demands a polysomnography to be performed. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is an organization with many professionals and societies that are involved in basic and clinical assessment of sleep and sleep disorders. It has an official website (www.aasmnet.org) where many practice standards and reviews of polysomnography and related techniques indications can be obtained, as well as information about sleep disorders. Polysomnography is a constantly evolving technique as long as new concepts and new technologies are developed and incorporated.