A wireless system improves reliability of intraoperative monitoring recordings

Abstract

Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) is commonly used in major surgeries such as spinal operations for the rapid detection and remediation of nervous system injuries. Current IONM systems use lengthy wired connections routed past electrical equipment in the operating room (OR). This routing not only crowds the surgical area, but also exposes IONM signals to electromagnetic interference (EMI). A wireless system located near the recording electrodes can be used to reduce EMI and help remove the obstructions created by wired IONM systems. In this work, we demonstrated the effectiveness of a compact wireless system in isolating four critical IONM signals from high levels of EMI found in the OR.