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Neurophysiology monitoring system configured for rapid stimulation threshold acquisition

  • US 8,500,653 B2
  • Filed: 06/26/2012
  • Issued: 08/06/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A neuromonitoring system for performing multi-channel neurophysiologic assessments, comprising:

  • a stimulator configured to deliver at least one electrical stimulation signal to a patient;

    at least one sensor adapted to be coupled to a myotome, said sensor configured to detect a neuromuscular response evoked by said electrical stimulation signal;

    a control unit in communication with said stimulator and said at least one sensor, said control unit being configured to;

    (a) direct transmission of the at least one electrical stimulation signal from said stimulator,(b) receive evoked neuromuscular response data from the sensor,(c) determine a threshold current level on a first channel of said neuromonitoring system, said first channel associated with a first myotome, wherein determining the threshold current level on the first channel includes;

    delivering stimulation signals within tissue and monitoring neuromuscular responses on said first channel to determine when said stimulation signals evoke a significant neuromuscular response, wherein said stimulation signals are delivered as a sequence of pulses and wherein a current level of each pulse is adjusted from an immediately preceding pulse until a current level required to evoke a significant neuromuscular response is determined,(d) determine a threshold current level on a second channel of the neuromonitoring device, said second channel associated with a second myotome, wherein determining the threshold current level on the second channel includes;

    delivering stimulation signals within tissue and monitoring neuromuscular responses on said second channel to determine when said stimulation signals evoke a significant neuromuscular response wherein said stimulation signals are delivered as a sequence of pulses and wherein a current level of each pulse is adjusted from an immediately preceding pulse until a current level required to evoke said significant neuromuscular response is determined and omitting one or more pulses from the sequence of pulses when a neuromuscular response to the omitted pulse is predictable based upon data obtained while determining the threshold current level of the first channel; and

    (e) communicate the threshold current levels to a user.

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