Sweat artifact and respiratory artifact occurring simultaneously in polysomnogram

• DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2005.11.013
• Publication Date: 2006-02-04T16:00:55Z
• Authors: F SIDDIQUI; E OSUNA; A WALTERS; S CHOKROVERTY
• Keywords: Artifact (error); Polysomnogram

A 43-year-old woman with snoring was referred to the sleep laboratory to rule out obstructive sleep apnea. Her body mass index was 42.6, and her Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was 7. She had a history of snoring and sleep maintenance insomnia. Her polysomnogram (PSG) revealed that she had mild sleep apnea with an apnea–hypopnea index of 19.9/h. The PSG showed excessive irregular swaying of the baseline electroencephalogram (EEG), which was noticed in the middle and final third of the night (Figs. 1 and 2). The technician confirmed that the patient was sweating at the time of the artifact and changed the temperature of the room to fix the artifact. The artifact resolved after the temperature was fixed.