Customer Reviews

Fundamentals of Polysomnography and Sleep Disorders

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Of the dozen or so texts I've read on polysomnography, this book has the most user-friendly layout. Each subject is dealt with quickly and clearly.
However, the writing style (as well as the type-setting) is totally uninspiring. Spelling and punctuation errors sometimes make for misleading/unclear statements. Many statements/conclusions are inferrential or lack necessary support. The order of statements (within each paragraph) is often suboptimal.
Some of the discussions, particularly with regards to electronics, are not thorough enough to transmit anything other than a superficial understanding of the subject. Much of this information seems clipped or paraphrased from other materials I have read. In many cases, this transplantation lacks fidelity to what I believe are the original sources; and to the heart of the subject matter.
However, don't let the negatives dissuade you from buying this book. This book contains info all techs should master in their 1st year. There is nothing in this book which lacks direct application. There is, however, much more to know than that which is included in this text.
Overall, this is an excellent introduction to, and a great handbook for the quick recovery of, the essential concepts of polysomnography. This edition is like a first draft to what may become an essential textbook... if the author ever gets around to fixing the mistakes.

A better choice for a first or only PSG technology handbook would be Steven Lenik's "Handbook for Sleep Medicine Technologists." Add to this, "Flip and See EKG (3 Lead EKG)" by Cohn. The downloadable AASM practice parameters, and the 2007 AASM scoring rules and you will probably know what you need to as a technician. Add Mark Pressman's book and Chokroverty's SD companion and you will know the basic roles of a sleep physician.

The good outweighs the bad as proposed by another reviewer. I agree the proofreader(if there was any) was out to lunch. But the content was easy to understand and was varied in the subject matter enough to know the basics. The workbook is better with 200+ test-like questions and enough scoring epochs to help you find staging and events. These were just a couple of the books I used to pass the Dec 2003 registry the first time. A lab could buy these and the information would be relevant for years to come.

I AGREE WITH THE PREVIOUS REVIEWERS THAT THE TEXT NEEDS SOME REVIEW BUT I AM UNAWARE OF ANY OTHER TEXT THAT COMPLETELY DEALS WITH THE FIELD OF POLYSOMNOGRAPHY. AFTER READING THE TEXT AND THE WORKBOOK I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT IN TAKING THE BOARDS. ANY MORE PROJECTS FROM THE AUTHOR?

If you do not know a lot about being a Polysomnographer, this book will not help you. It is NOT for the lay person. A lot is assumed.

Dyane

Even though this book has many typos the information and the way it reads makes up for them. I learned a lot!

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting an introduction to Sleep Studies. It starts out very basic and advances to the more complex. The author has it written in small learning blocks which I thinks is a fantastic way to learn. I would like to thank Dr. Kilkenny for taking the time to write a super Fundamental text. Jim Burgin, MA, RRT, CPFT