The goal of this project is to develop a computer-based system which will provide continuous neurological function monitoring of patients in a surgical intensive care unit. The system will record, analyze, and trend changes in both the background electroencephalograpm (EEG) as well as sensory evoked responses (SERs) on a continuous basis. It has been shown that such continuous monitoring can greatly improve the management and outcome of severely brain-injured patients. Although the benefits to society of this type of monitoring have been clearly demonstrated, it is not done on a widespread basis due to a number of technical and economic problems. These include electrodes, cumbersome lead wires, artifact from patient movement, difficulty of equipment usage, cost of equipment and technician time, data analysis, and lack of meaningful trended displays. Research during this project will be directed at designing a low-cost, microcomputer-based system which will overcome these problems. Various algorithms for artifact detection, data analysis, and data display as well as the hardware for the system will be developed at Interspec with prototype testing to follow in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Univ. of Texas Medical School in Houston. The development of this device would allow widespread use of a technique which could significantly improve the outcome of head injured persons from auto accidents, etc.
