Mixed Deck — All BRPT Topics Flashcards

Which level of disinfection is required for reusable PAP masks and headgear between patients?

Answer: High-level disinfection

Reusable PAP masks and headgear are semi-critical items that contact mucous membranes and require high-level disinfection between patients.

A 60 Hz artifact appearing simultaneously on ALL EEG channels most likely indicates a problem with which electrode?

Answer: The ground or reference electrode

When 60 Hz artifact appears on every channel at once, the common element — the ground or reference electrode — is the most likely source rather than individual recording electrodes.

In a sleep laboratory, electrical safety is critical. Which grounding principle helps protect patients from microshock during polysomnography?

Answer: All conductive equipment must be connected to a common ground point

Connecting all conductive equipment to a common ground (equipotential grounding) eliminates voltage differences between devices, preventing microshock through the patient.

During EOG calibrations, the technologist asks the patient to 'look left, then look right'. What is the expected signal response in the LOC-M2 and ROC-M1 channels?

Answer: The signals should be out-of-phase (move in opposite directions).

When the eyes move, the cornea (positive potential) moves toward one electrode and away from the other. This creates opposite deflections in the two EOG channels, resulting in an out-of-phase signal, which confirms proper electrode placement and function.

Eye movement artifacts can contaminate frontal EEG channels (F3, F4) because:

Answer: The corneoretinal potential of the eye acts as a voltage dipole whose field spreads to nearby electrodes

The eye's corneoretinal potential (cornea positive, retina negative) creates a dipole; eye rotation changes the orientation of this dipole and induces voltage changes in nearby frontal EEG electrodes.

When an electrode shows high impedance during PSG, what is the correct first troubleshooting step?

Answer: Re-prep the skin, reapply conductive gel, and re-seat the electrode

High impedance most commonly results from inadequate skin preparation or insufficient conductive medium; re-abrading the skin and reapplying gel usually resolves it.

Which agent is classified as an intermediate-level disinfectant and is commonly used for routine cleaning of sleep lab environmental surfaces?

Answer: 70% isopropyl alcohol

70% isopropyl alcohol is an intermediate-level disinfectant effective against mycobacteria, most viruses, and vegetative bacteria, making it suitable for environmental surface disinfection.

Respiratory inductance plethysmography (RIP) belt artifact is most commonly caused by:

Answer: Belt displacement or changed belt tension from patient repositioning

RIP belts measure changes in cross-sectional area; repositioning shifts the belt or alters its tension, creating artifact that can mimic changes in respiratory effort.

Which sterilization method is preferred for heat-sensitive sleep lab equipment such as CPAP circuit tubing?

Answer: Ethylene oxide (EtO) gas sterilization

Ethylene oxide gas sterilization operates at low temperatures and is preferred for heat-sensitive items like plastic CPAP circuit tubing.

During intake, a patient reports they started taking an over-the-counter sleep aid two nights ago. What is the technologist's most important action?

Answer: Document the medication and notify the medical director or ordering physician.

Any medication, including OTC aids, can affect sleep architecture and must be documented. The technologist should document the medication, dosage, and frequency and also notify the ordering physician or medical director, as it may impact the interpretation of the study.

During REM sleep, thermoregulation is suppressed and humans temporarily become:

Answer: Poikilothermic (unable to thermoregulate)

REM sleep suppresses hypothalamic thermoregulatory drive, making humans transiently poikilothermic and dependent on ambient temperature.

Which disinfectant concentration of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is appropriate for cleaning blood spills on environmental surfaces?

Answer: 1:10 dilution (approximately 5,000 ppm)

A 1:10 dilution of bleach (approximately 5,000 ppm available chlorine) is required for blood spills to ensure effective disinfection.

When a person stops breathing during sleep for ten seconds, 15 to 30 times during an hour, he or she has

Answer: Moderate sleep apnea.

When a person stops breathing during sleep for ten seconds, 15 to 30 times during an hour, it indicates moderate sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep. Mild sleep apnea would involve fewer episodes of breathing cessation, while severe sleep apnea would involve more frequent and longer pauses in breathing. Therefore, based on the given information, the correct answer is moderate sleep apnea.

ECG (cardiogenic) artifact in EEG channels is identified by:

Answer: Regular sharp deflections that align with QRS complexes on the ECG channel

ECG artifact appears as regular spikes in EEG that align precisely with QRS complexes, caused by cardiac electrical activity spreading to scalp electrodes.

During a split-night CPAP titration, CPAP pressurized airflow most directly causes artifact on which channels?

Answer: Thermistor, nasal pressure, and respiratory effort channels

CPAP pressure alters airflow dynamics at the thermistor and nasal pressure transducer and can affect the appearance of respiratory effort channels during titration.

The glymphatic system, active primarily during sleep, functions to:

Answer: Clear adenosine and metabolic waste from brain tissue

The glymphatic system uses cerebrospinal fluid flow to flush adenosine and neurotoxic waste products from the brain, operating most efficiently during slow-wave sleep.

What is the standard placement for the right electrooculogram (ROC) electrode according to AASM guidelines?

Answer: 1 cm below and 1 cm out from the outer canthus of the right eye.

The right EOG (ROC) electrode is placed 1 cm below and 1 cm out from the outer canthus of the right eye. This placement, along with the left EOG electrode, allows for the detection of horizontal and vertical eye movements.

Reference contamination artifact in EEG is characterized by:

Answer: The same artifact pattern appearing simultaneously on all channels that share the same reference electrode

When the reference electrode (M1 or M2) picks up an artifact (e.g., ECG, movement), that artifact appears identically on every channel referenced to it, distinguishing it from single-electrode problems.

Sweat artifact in a PSG EEG recording is characterized by:

Answer: Very slow, large-amplitude undulating baseline shifts below 0.5 Hz

Sweat artifact produces very slow, large-amplitude baseline undulations below 0.5 Hz as ionic changes in perspiration alter electrode potential.

What is the RECOMMENDED starting pressure for CPAP?

Answer: 4cm H20

The recommended starting pressure for CPAP is 4cm H20. This pressure setting is commonly used as a starting point for patients using CPAP therapy. It helps to keep the airway open and prevent collapse during sleep, effectively treating sleep apnea.