AASM Scoring of Respiratory and Cardiac Events Flashcards
6 cards from real BRPT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 AASM Scoring of Respiratory and Cardiac Events flashcards as text
An obstructive apnea is scored when there is a drop in the peak signal excursion of airflow by at least 90% for a duration of at least 10 seconds, and which other condition is met?
Answer: There is continued or increased inspiratory effort.
The key feature distinguishing an obstructive apnea from a central apnea is the presence of respiratory effort. Despite the near-complete cessation of airflow, the patient's chest and/or abdomen continue to move, indicating an effort to breathe against a blocked airway.
According to the AASM Recommended hypopnea rule (1A), a hypopnea is scored when there is a drop in airflow of at least 30% for 10 seconds or more, associated with what?
Answer: A ≥3% oxygen desaturation or an arousal.
The recommended AASM scoring rule for a hypopnea requires both a significant reduction in airflow (≥30% for ≥10 seconds) and a clear physiological consequence. This consequence is defined as either an oxygen desaturation of at least 3% or an arousal from sleep.
A central sleep apnea event is characterized by a cessation of airflow for at least 10 seconds and what defining feature?
Answer: Absence of inspiratory effort.
Unlike an obstructive apnea where effort continues, a central apnea is defined by the absence of inspiratory effort throughout the entire period of airflow cessation. This indicates that the brain did not send the signal to breathe.
Which of the following best describes the pattern of Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR)?
Answer: A crescendo-decrescendo pattern of breathing with central apneas.
Cheyne-Stokes Respiration is a specific pattern of central sleep apnea most often seen in patients with congestive heart failure. It is characterized by a cyclical, waxing and waning (crescendo-decrescendo) pattern of breathing effort and airflow, interspersed with central apneas or hypopneas.
A Respiratory Effort-Related Arousal (RERA) is a sequence of breaths lasting at least 10 seconds that is characterized by increasing respiratory effort and that leads to what?
Answer: An arousal from sleep.
A RERA is an event that does not meet the criteria for an apnea or hypopnea but still disrupts sleep. It is defined by a period of increasing respiratory effort (e.g., flattening of the nasal pressure waveform) that culminates in an arousal from sleep.
Sinus bradycardia during sleep is typically scored if the heart rate drops below what threshold for adults?
Answer: 40 bpm
While heart rate naturally slows during sleep, a sustained drop below 40 beats per minute (bpm) for at least 30 seconds is considered clinically significant bradycardia in adults and should be scored. This is a common parameter monitored for cardiac abnormalities during a polysomnogram.