Nov 28, 2018 / By Taylor DesOrmeau
JACKSON, MI – It looks like a tablet but instead of connecting to headphones, the wires protruding from this new device at Henry Ford Allegiance Health connects to stickers – which are attached to the arms and legs of patients undergoing surgery.
The new device is called a Sentio generation 2 neuromonitoring system and Jackson’s hospital is the first in the nation to use it.
The minimally-invasive technology can offer patients a faster recovery, less blood loss and a shorter hospital stay, according to a HFAH press release. Surgeons began using it in Jackson in October.
“While we’re placing our instrumentation, we’re able to better assess that we’re in the correct place,” said Dr. Amritraj Loganathan, a neurosurgeon at HFAH.
The Sentio is primarily used during spine surgeries to decompress nerves. Accelerometers in the stickers can detect subtle muscle twitches – which are then shown on the screen. This shows which nerves are firing and what they’re specific functions are, Loganathan said.
What excites Loganathan is the hospital’s plan to lead studies, in expectation of finding ways to expand the tool’s usage. Loganathan believes it could help surgeons assess how healthy a nerve is.
Right now, they must rely on a patient’s pain assessment to determine if the nerve was successfully decompressed during surgery.
Photo: Courtesy of Henry Ford Allegiance Health
