The goal of this project is to design and develop a telemetric stimulation device that can perform continuous neuromonitoring of a patient before, during and after the actual surgery. Surgical neuromonitoring provides information about the functionality of particular neural structures. This information is used to either confirm that the proper neural structure is being manipulated or as an alert of potential neural damage due to the present surgical strategy. Several studies have shown a dramatic reduction in the number of patient injures when neuromonitoring was performed. Unfortunately, surgically induced pressure or swelling may produce neuronal damage 20 minutes, or even longer, after the end of the surgery. Using the present neuromonitoring set-ups, however, it is not practical to stay connected to the patient before or after the actual surgery. This program will develop a stimulation device that will connect to and be directed by wireless patient monitors being developed under other SBIR programs by Cleveland Medical Devices. A separate station is used to monitor and record the signals. This device will allow the patient to be continuously monitored throughout each move into, during, and after surgery without moving the receiving unit. For long distances, such as going into the ICU, the system will automatically transfer the transmitted data to a receiving unit in the new location. The development of this device will significantly enhance patient safety. First, by making pre- and post-operative monitoring a reality, delayed surgically induced injuries can be detected before permanent neurological damage occurs. Second, if an injury occurs during a transfer, continuous monitoring of the patient will help identify that an injury has occurred, providing information that is not currently available.
In addition to being used in the surgery room, the device can also be used with people in coma to determine changes in their neural activity. Another medical related use is for therapeutic stimulation used by both physical and occupational therapists. The system can also be used for markets as diverse as special training studies in the workplace to virtual reality game controller and feedback.
