Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
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Severe events of respiratory distress can be life threatening. Although rare in some outpatient settings, effective recognition and management are essential to improving outcomes. The value of high-fidelity simulation has not been assessed for sleep technologists (STs). We hypothesized that knowledge of and comfort level in managing emergent pediatric respiratory events would improve with this innovative method. ⋯ A simulation course focusing on respiratory emergencies requiring basic life support skills during the first 5 min of distress can significantly improve the knowledge of STs. Simulation may provide a highly useful methodology for training STs in the management of rare life-threatening events.
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Case Reports
A failure of adaptive servo-ventilation to correct central apneas in Cheyne-Stokes breathing.
An 80-year-old man with severe central sleep apnea due to Cheyne-Stokes breathing (AHI 41.2) caused by severe cardiac failure underwent a trial of adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) by full face mask after failure of a fixed CPAP trial. Recommended procedure was closely followed and the ASV device activated normally during central apneas. Initial settings were EEP 5, PSmin 3, PSmax 15 on room air. ⋯ We hypothesize that the failure to capture may have resulted from "reverse" obstructive apnea, possibly due to glottic closure during ASV activation. We suggest that earlier manual adjustments to ASV in cases such as ours, prior to waiting for the recommended 20 to 40 min of sleep, may be appropriate in selected patients. We also consider additional interventions that may increase the likelihood of a successful trial.