NEUROVISION MEDICAL PRODUCTS, INC. announced that it has been granted United States Patent No. 10,517,493, making it the second patent related to the company’s nerve location platform, Nerveäna.
The Nerveäna system is designed to utilize the digital logic of NPI (Nerve Power Index) and gives surgeons the ability to collect and interpret data that detects nerve weakness before the onset of palsy during surgery. The technology allows surgeons to conveniently identify and avoid traction, stretching, or other insults that could lead to nerve damage. The ability to detect reversible nerve injury with the NPI algorithm can improve surgical outcomes for patients.
The NPI algorithm is an intuitive surgical tool that provides a real-time indication of the relative health and integrity of the nerve. A critical aspect of preventing irreversible nerve damage or vocal cord paralysis is the surgeon’s ability to identify and monitor at-risk motor nerves. With the unique algorithm, NMP has pioneered the use of data to expand the clinician’s awareness of nerve functionality intraoperatively. The NPI generates values corresponding to nerve strength within the dissecting process used to complete the surgery. Dr. James Lee Rea, CEO of NMP explains the distinct utilization of NPI:
“Unlike competitive platforms, the NPI requires no additional sensors and provides information by the same surgical instruments used in surgical maneuvers. A single NPI number, along with audio alerts, indicates the power of nerve and muscle response. The quality of conduction is audibly expressed by a two-tone system, with a higher-pitched tone occurring with an NPI >100, and a lower-pitched tone occurring with an NPI <100.”
NPI offers digital logic that can assist surgeons in their efforts to protect motor nerves and improve patient outcomes.