Collectively we share a common belief; the patient deserves the best possible care before, during and after surgery.
When neuromonitoring is indicated, the assigned neurophysiologist plays an important role in their healthcare during surgery. Intraoperative neuromonitoring brings state-of-the-art technology into the operating room and uses electrophysiological techniques to monitor the patient’s nervous system throughout the surgical procedure.
The role of the neurophysiologist in the operating room is not a passive one. Observing the continuous collection of data requires vigilance in order to rapidly assimilate, interpret and convey to the surgeon in real time a well thought out analysis of the ongoing events.
This is a collaborative effort between the neurophysiologist present in the operating room and the online physician providing continuous remote observation and interpretation of the data. Because the surgeon is receiving real time feedback during surgery, events that previously went undetected until the patient was in post-operative recovery can now be corrected immediately.
It goes without saying, neuromonitoring is effective as a predictor of post operative complications.
Patients exhibiting unresolved changes in the evoked responses recorded during surgery will present with post operative deficits. A more important question is whether neuromonitoring is able to reduce the incidence of injury to the nervous system during surgery.