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Sleep technicians each have their own favorite repertoire of masks that they like to showcase to patients. Some patients never sleep supine anyway, so there is no reason to put them at a disadvantage to begin with. By having the patient sit in a chair, the technician can slowly graduate that patient to a lying down position. That way the technician can begin showcasing different masks and initiate pressure before the patient is lying down. At this point patients are not yet restrained by testing equipment or overwhelmed with the procedure.ДЇirst, position the patient by having him or her sit at the bedside in a chair. The acclimation trials are best performed before the overnight test hookup process for better mobility takes place. Usually, 15 to 30 minutes is an adequate amount of time for this consultation to be effective, but again, this is dictated by the patient who is under your care. Some patients may easily adhere to the mask and pressure, while others may require more time because of a lack of mask comfort, pressure setting issues, anxiety, claustrophobia, facial hair, or facial deformities. Sleep technicians need to spend an adequate amount of time acclimating patients by making sure their masks are fitting comfortably, as well as properly setting individual positive airway pressures.

Either way, this educational process needs to be in place prior to the beginning of a CAT.

Other centers may choose to not use a video and to educate patients verbally. Some sleep centers may use a video to explain the sleep test experience, the pathology of OSA, and noninvasive therapy. Though a sleep clinician or referring physician likely has spoken with the patient about sleep testing during his or her consultation, it is beneficial to cover the basics of the sleep laboratory experience. Many sleep centers utilize patient education in different ways, but the end result is that the patient is comfortable with the hookup application process, the testing procedure, and the possible initiation of CPAP therapy should the type of study at hand or the type of protocol the laboratory follows per test ordered require it. Once a patient has acclimated to the room where the sleep test will take place, completed sleep-related questionnaires, and finished any additional procedures prior to testing, then it is time to begin the CAT. These categories are: proper setting and education, time allotted, patient positioning, masks montage, mask fitting approach, application of pressure and heated humidity, patient control, patient adaptation to pressure, troubleshooting, time management, and documentation.

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By examining the 11 categories that make up the CAT, this article will describe its benefits as well as the techniques that will best serve each patient for a trial and relate those techniques to the settings found in most laboratory environments. The CAT was developed to allow polysomnographic technicians to invest time in adapting each patient to CPAP therapy prior to testing. This symbiotic relationship requires an exchange of education and demonstration, which will benefit both parties when, and if, the implementation of CPAP therapy is needed.

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This is important because if a patient requires a split-night study and therapeutic intervention must begin halfway through the night, then that patient will be more receptive to a therapy he or she is somewhat familiar with than a completely foreign one.ДЄ patientВ’s initial introduction to CPAP therapy requires a series of events that needs to occur between that patient and the sleep technician. The primary objective of a CPAP acclimation trial (CAT) is to familiarize patients with a properly fitted, comfortable mask and with continuous positive pressure prior to testing.

Therefore, once a patient has undergone a sleep study with therapeutic intervention, we must go to this figurative front line and examine the role of sleep laboratory processes in CPAP adherence. This is where the CPAP compliance so paramount and sought after by physicians, durable medical equipment carriers, and sleep technicians often begins. Nearly every night, sleep disorder centers are on the front line of the CPAP adherence struggle. A CPAP acclimation trial increases treatment compliance.

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