What are the new AASM rules that everyone is talking about?
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recently published new standardized scoring rules for sleep: “The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology, and Technical Specifications.” The new manual is the result of years of work and debate about standards that began with a meeting of industry representatives in July 2004. Issues addressed include, sleep stage terminology, technical specifications for recording and data presentation, and the standardized scoring of sleep. The new recommendations took effect on July 1, 2008 for labs that are accredited by the AASM.. Two of the recommendations related to diagnostic sensors that are the subject of this discussion are found in section VIII; which lays out the technical considerations for respiratory effort: The sensor for detection of respiratory effort is either esophageal manometry, or calibrated or uncalibrated inductance plethysmography. The section also describes the recommendation for sensors to be use
