This is a short video (only showing partial wire-up) from the European Respiratory Society showing what I do at night as a clinical physiologist, i.e. body measurements during sleep. A ways into the video you will see all the equipment hanging on the walls behind them which need to go on the patient. I often get asked overall how many electrodes are placed on the patient. Don't know! I've never counted them. I keep meaning to but always forget.
Bearing in mind that I have two patients and both of them are having exactly the same wire-up, mask fitting, TcC02 monitoring, bloods/urine samples done, etc. it can be very intense. We're on our feet from the time the patients arrive at 7.15pm (us having arrived at 6.15pm to set up equipment and get everything ready for their arrival) until they go to sleep which can be, depending on the patient and how anxious they are, anything from 10.30 to midnight.
We monitor them all night continuously marking the study as we go. Most are "splits" which means that we do a diagnostic the first half of the night and then the second half, if needed, treatment with CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). Some are all night CPAP titration or CPAP to NIV (non invasive ventilation) titration depending on the patient (those that have heart, lung disease or muscular diseases would have to use an NIV). But regardless of what is being done, all of them have the same wire-up with electrodes (or hook-up as some places call it).
The patients are woken at 6am (or earlier if we need to take bloods again). After taking equipment off we then leave them to have their breakfast and get dressed. Once they are ready, we discuss their sleep study, show them some traces of what we were seeing, why they were treated and the impact of the treatment. We go through the maintenance and use of their machine and the follow up procedure (regular follow up appointments until they are comfortable to be left on their own and then yearly follow ups), get them to read and sign a loan agreement (the equipment and replacements parts are free, but on loan to them).
They are finally discharged at 7.15am and, after cleaning up, we go home.
It's a long intense 12 hour shift - but even so I love the patient interaction and job satisfaction and I get paid to do it! I'm just not fond of the circumstances/conditions within which I have to work.
Lol...we use do the Nocturnal Penile Tumescence - thank goodness.
What is that you may ask? Its monitoring equipment on the penis for erections during REM.
Bearing in mind that I have two patients and both of them are having exactly the same wire-up, mask fitting, TcC02 monitoring, bloods/urine samples done, etc. it can be very intense. We're on our feet from the time the patients arrive at 7.15pm (us having arrived at 6.15pm to set up equipment and get everything ready for their arrival) until they go to sleep which can be, depending on the patient and how anxious they are, anything from 10.30 to midnight.
We monitor them all night continuously marking the study as we go. Most are "splits" which means that we do a diagnostic the first half of the night and then the second half, if needed, treatment with CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). Some are all night CPAP titration or CPAP to NIV (non invasive ventilation) titration depending on the patient (those that have heart, lung disease or muscular diseases would have to use an NIV). But regardless of what is being done, all of them have the same wire-up with electrodes (or hook-up as some places call it).
The patients are woken at 6am (or earlier if we need to take bloods again). After taking equipment off we then leave them to have their breakfast and get dressed. Once they are ready, we discuss their sleep study, show them some traces of what we were seeing, why they were treated and the impact of the treatment. We go through the maintenance and use of their machine and the follow up procedure (regular follow up appointments until they are comfortable to be left on their own and then yearly follow ups), get them to read and sign a loan agreement (the equipment and replacements parts are free, but on loan to them).
They are finally discharged at 7.15am and, after cleaning up, we go home.
It's a long intense 12 hour shift - but even so I love the patient interaction and job satisfaction and I get paid to do it! I'm just not fond of the circumstances/conditions within which I have to work.
Lol...we use do the Nocturnal Penile Tumescence - thank goodness.
What is that you may ask? Its monitoring equipment on the penis for erections during REM.
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