WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., June 6, 2013 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — According to Neuro Alert, based in Westchester, N.Y., many major surgeries carry an inherent risk of damage to critical neural structures. Therefore, surgeons of various specialties are increasingly embracing Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring (IONM), a group of procedures to observe neural pathways during high-risk vascular, orthopedic, neurosurgical, and peripheral nerve surgeries.
Neuromonitoring involves close collaboration between the surgeon, surgical staff, and monitoring professionals, making up a single surgical team with the ultimate goal of optimizing patient outcomes. This vital and cost-effective tool is used to enhance the safety of spine, brain, or nerve surgery by providing real-time assessment of the nervous system. Simply put, IONM enables surgeons and anesthesiologists to quickly spot changes in spinal cord, brain or peripheral brain function before irreversible damage occurs. It serves not only as a navigational tool that gets to a specific site in the brain or spine, but also as a diagnostic device capable of detecting co-existing disorders.
Here is how it works:
Using electrode sensors placed on the patient’s body and stimulation of neural tissues such as nerves, spinal cord and brain, intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring gauges the responses to sensory and motor stimuli. A highly-trained monitoring technician working on-site, can easily detect such abnormal effects as a stretched nerve, lack of oxygen or a mechanical disturbance during surgery. Once abnormalities occur, an immediate surgical intervention may prevent, reduce or eradicate nerve damage. While a monitoring technologist is collecting data in the operating room, a remote physician carefully interprets all the information and delivers instant and accurate feedback on the status of the patient’s neural pathways.
“The goal of IONM is to keep patients safe and neurologically intact during the most critical or delicate surgical procedures,” says Dr. T.V. Seshan, a founder and clinical director of Neuro Alert, a Westchester, N.Y.-based company providing neuromonitoring services for surgeons and healthcare organizations. “One of the best ways to enhance surgical precision and prevent potential injury is to obtain, observe and analyze electrophysiologic signals from the patient throughout the course of the surgery. As a result, the risk factors of neurological deficit are dramatically reduced.”
Some of the most commonly monitored procedures include spinal surgery, certain types of brain surgery, vascular surgeries, orthopedic spine surgeries, peripheral nerve surgeries, and some ENT procedures.
When surgical teams incorporate intraoperative monitoring into their procedures, they are better equipped to make all the necessary adjustments to avoid injury or identify impending damage to the nervous system.
“Monitoring should be performed whenever the surgical team determines that brain, spine or nerve structures are at risk due to the complexity of the surgery, the extent of the preoperative problem or any other patient-related factors,” adds Dr. Seshan.
Neurological monitoring is a rapidly evolving field using a wide array of advanced neurophysiological techniques. These techniques provide much-needed safety for patients undergoing surgery, and reduce liability risks for surgeons and hospitals.
About Neuro Alert:
Neuro Alert is a physician-owned and operated company providing intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) services for surgeons and hospitals since 2006. The fast-growing Westchester, N.Y.-based organization was founded by Dr. T.V. Seshan – a renowned physician, board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation who has been actively involved in intraoperative monitoring over the course of thirty years. The simple yet crucial monitoring procedures, offered by Neuro Alert, are set up to detect any neurological deficits during major surgeries, allowing surgeons to gain instant feedback about their patient’s condition and avert potential adverse effects. Neuro Alert consists of a team of experienced and highly-skilled physicians and technical professionals who work together to enhance treatment precision, reduce physician liability, and ensure patient safety.
For more information about Neuro Alert, please visit http://neuroalert.com/ or call (888) 787-6267.
NEWS SOURCE: Neuro Alert :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope® – Copr. © 2013. Syndication source of this news item: https://www.send2press.com/newswire/How-to-Minimize-Risks-During-Major-Surgeries_2013-06-0606-002.shtml .
