According to a report at MedCity News, Checkpoint Medical (Cleveland, Ohio) received the European CE Mark for its CHECKPOINT Stimulator/Locator, a device that is used, according to the company, to “locate, identify and evaluate motor nerve and muscle function in surgical procedures that require careful and precise soft tissue dissection or nerve exploration or repair.”
The device is designed to be used intraoperatively in nerve exploration or repair procedures, as well as in cases where nerve identification and protection is very important, such as in radical mastectomies where iatrogenic damage to the long thoracic nerve is a very common problem.
Biphasic balanced stimulus waveform versus direct current (DC)
Mitigates potential nerve damage and produces continuous nerve activation20mA amplitude setting
Allows surgeon to stimulate muscle tissue in the vicinity of the nerve for intra-operative evaluation of muscle strength and tendon excursion</td>Pulse width slide control
Continuously variable pulse width adjustment enables fine tuning of the stimulus parameters to identify precise nerve activation threshold and facilitate nerve stimulationSurgeon controlled instrument
Puts control in the surgeon’s hand without assistance from a neurophysiologist or technician from across the roomComplete, self-contained system
Requires no special set-up activities; no cables connected to a device outside the sterile fieldCost effective and convenient
Eliminates need for advanced preparation or set up; no capital equipment expense or staffing expenses
The CHECKPOINT already received FDA clearance in the U.S. at the end of 2009.
Product page: CHECKPOINT
(hat tip: MedCity News)