Sentient Medical Systems

Overview

Since its development, intraoperative monitoring (IOM) has rapidly grown in its scope of application. While the use of IOM has increased dramatically, the quality of the services provided have not necessarily improved. In many operating rooms IOM neurotechnologists have received minimal training; are unsupervised; and, lack adequate experience. These weaknesses result in an unacceptable level of undetected surgically-induced post-operative neurological deficits. In 1995, Sentient Medical Systems was started in order to provide surgeons with a high quality and reliable IOM service which avoided the weaknesses common to other IOM programs. We are constantly striving to provide our neurotechnologists with training and experience that will prepare them for all types of surgeries. Additionally, all of our neurotechnologists and surgeries are supervised, in real-time, by physicians. By providing physician supervision we maintain a neurotechnologist-physician relationship that is traditional to medicine and which provides the surgeon and patient with an additional layer of protection.

In addition to providing a higher quality IOM service during surgery, we are developing new applications and procedures which will further improve surgical outcome in traditionally as well as non-traditionally monitored surgeries.

In the area of neurodiagnostics, we are developing a service delivery model that will provide physicians and their patients with low-cost, readily available tests of neurological function and perfusion. By providing these procedures on a wider scale, we are able to detect the presence of reduced cerebral perfusion, TIAs, PFOs, emboli, carotid stenosis, etc. in a cost-effective manner that will significantly improve short and long-term patient care as well as the patient’s quality of life.

Sentient Medical Systems is based upon the University Medical Center model that incorporates clinical services, research, and education. Each area is mutually supportive so that the neurotechnologists that provide our clinical services are trained by our doctoral-level education staff. The procedures that are administered are evaluated and, in many instances, developed by our research division so that we are always confident of their reliability and validity.