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If you have never had surgery before here is the general routine for most of
the hospitals nationwide. Surgeries now-a-days are safe and are becoming safer
each year. Your surgeon has chosen to add an additional level of security if
he/she has chosen Neurological Monitoring. The following information can be
used as general information for the day of surgery.
On the day of your surgery, you will meet several people. The people you will
most likely talk to will be: anesthesiologist, a pre-op nurse, the operating
room nurse, your surgeon, the surgeon assistant, the neuromonitoring
technologist and many other ancillary staff. We all make up a team that will be
there for you, to answer questions and lend support to you when needed. There
can be as many as 10 people in the operating room with you, to watch over and
protect you. But here we are going to focus on the duties and responsibilities
of the neuromonitoring technologists.
The monitoring technologist in conjunction with a neurologist has the
responsibility of protecting your neurological system during the surgical
procedure.
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The monitoring technologist will ask several questions concerning your pain and
medical history and perform a brief exam.
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The technologist will also ask to sign consent for neuromonitoring. This
consent allows our team to perform this procedure and also gives permission to
AMR to release your personal information to insurance companies, a requirement
by HIPPA. A federal requirement for all healthcare workers.
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The technologist will perform a preliminary set up of the electrodes. The
technologist will place sticker electrodes on specific areas of your body that
will require monitoring. The technologist will use a mild abrasive on the skin
to place the "stickers". There is little to no discomfort in this process.
During surgery, if required, small needles will have to be inserted into
muscles. This is part of the monitoring and is done after the anesthetic is
administered. You will NOT be aware of the needles at all. They will be removed
before you even wake up. Sometimes there may be a little sourness in the
muscles after surgery but it is rare.
And that is it. You wake up secure in the knowledge that your surgeon provided
all safety nets possible for your surgery. And you can be on your way to a
quick and successful recovery.
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