Top 3 Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Devices Available in the Market Today

Medical procedures, especially surgeries, are complex to say the least. This is because any surgery impacts every major organ of the body in some or the other way. The interconnectedness and interdependence of organs and bodily tissues is the main reason behind this. Hence, surgeons have to take into account all these factors before undertaking any medical procedure. Say, for example, a patient is undergoing an angioplasty; the doctor who is conducting this medical procedure and overlooking all the operations, needs to monitor all the changes in the bodily functioning so that he/she can assess the extent to which the patients’ body is responding to the surgery and in what way. For this, the doctor will need a wide array of monitoring devices which will monitor, track, display, and store the data that is generated by the patient’s body while the patient is undergoing a medical procedure. A neuromonitoring device is one such critical device.

The term neuromonitoring implies monitoring of the central and peripheral nervous system and its neurophysiological functioning. Thus, intraoperative neuromonitoring device monitors the central and peripheral nervous system of a patient while he/she is undergoing a surgery or similar medical operation. Over the years, as more and more complex medical procedures are being performed, the neuromonitoring device market growth has steadily gone up.

How Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Devices Work?

Used for the first time in 1930s in the United States of America, intraoperative neuromonitoring devices essentially monitor the condition of the brain and spinal cord of the patient while an operation is taking place. While a variety of methods exist so as to check the status of the central and peripheral nervous system, the most common and basic way is to send electric impulses to the brain and spinal cord and check the responses given out by both these organs. These responses are then recorded and presented to the lead surgeon, who then proceeds with the surgery accordingly.

Top Neuromonitoring Devices in the Market Today

As the demand for neuromonitoring devices has increased manifold, many leading biomedical instrument manufacturing companies have come up with their own versions of such devices. Some of these top performing neuromonitoring devices are given below:

1. Medtronic NIM intraoperative Neuromonitoring System

One of the best systems available in the market today, NIM intraoperative neuromonitoring system is a perfect tool to keep a track of the neurophysiological changes in the nervous system during various operations including ENT surgical procedures. Equipped with the latest technology, this system provides the concerned surgeon with regular notifications about the status of the patient in both visual and audio formats. Also, it has status bars with colors like red, yellow, and green which depict the current status of the nervous system of the patient. Since the system is fully mobile and furnished with appropriate ergonomics, it can be handled and transported with relative ease.

2. C2 Xplore

C2 Xplore is of the most compact yet efficient neuromonitoring devices available in the market today. Not just the hardware, but the software in-built in this device, too, is extremely user-friendly. Also, one of the biggest advantages of C2 Xplore is that data acquisition is done in real-time and the analysis done by it is quite up-to-the-mark. Furnished with automated and guided applications, this system can be accessed through intuitive touch function and gesture-controlled comment function, thus helping the doctors to multitask while simultaneously using this device.

3. Medtronic Stim Bur Guard

Touted as the next big thing in neuromonitoring technology, Stim Bur Guard is world’s first and only high-speed otologic drill that runs on a technology that is an integration of electric drill hardware and nerve monitoring simulation. This device is specially designed to monitor the condition and status of facial nerves during otologic procedures. This device is equipped with a sensor that notifies the user as soon as the drill is in the proximity of a facial nerve, the proximity being around 1-3mm. Also, it is equipped with visual and audio feedback mechanism which offers regular alerts to the surgeon who is in charge of the ongoing medical procedure.

The Bottom Line

Neuromonitoring devices are an excellent example of engineering and medical fields coming together to give out stunning results. Today, these devices provide the doctors and surgeon a much-needed relief, as they accurately present the data which helps these medical practitioners to steer through complex procedures and complete the task successfully. Newer innovations and technological advancements in this field are a boon to both, the doctors and the patients.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.