Thecal punctures can be tricky procedures with quite a bit of potential for serious complications. It’s important to know when the needle has reached the cerebrospinal fluid and if it strayed from the target, but this is typically a matter of good training, attention to detail, and having a good hand that can feel as different tissues are penetrated.
Injeq, a Finnish company, developed a new device called IQ-Needle that may take a lot of the guesswork and inconsistency out of performing lumber punctures.
The IQ-Needle has electrodes via which an external control device is able to sense the environment of the needle tip, whether it is liquid or still ligament or muscle tissue. When approaching nerves it can detect that as well, preventing damage in one of the most sensitive parts of the body.
The technology relies on bioimpedance analysis that can distinquish tissue types at close range, doing so 200 times a second. This should prevent accidents and lead to faster, less dangerous procedures while helping to initiate therapy earlier.
Here’s a video from Injeq showing off its IQ-Needle system:
Product page: Injeq IQ-Needle…
Via: GE Reports…