Good luck with your upcoming surgery. Although there are risks with all surgeries, spinal surgery in particular can be dangerous because it involves areas near the nerves and the spinal cord. During spinal surgery, there is a risk that damage to the nervous system can occur. That is one big reason that intraoperative monitoring is recommended. Intraoperative monitoring allows the surgeon to know during the surgery if or when nerve tissue is being injured or is at risk for being injured, so the problem can be corrected immediately.
Intraoperative monitoring (also called intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring) involves hooking electrodes to the body during surgery. Those electrodes monitor the nervous system and allow technicians to know if the body is not reacting as it should during surgery. Many potential complications can be avoided with careful monitoring.
In many cases, spinal surgery involves the use of hardware, such as screws, rods, plates, and more. There are a number of potential complications from the implantation of hardware, including damage to the spinal cord and the nerves. In the past, surgeons have relied on CT scans and X-rays to check the placement of hardware during surgery, but those methods aren’t always accurate. Intraoperative monitoring is more effective.
In most cases, intraoperative monitoring is quick, painless, and easy. However, it doesn’t always go as planned. If you have been harmed during a surgery that involved the use of intraoperative monitoring, you may wish to speak with an attorney. One of the members of the team may have committed medical malpractice, and you may have the right to recover compensation for your injuries. Call me, Conal Doyle, intraoperative monitoring malpractice attorney, at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.