Advancing the Field

Newly available EEG devices open new possibilities for quick and easy brain scans, while the data they generate create new research opportunities. A neurodiagnostics researcher identifies four technologies that could reimagine the field.

Connie Kubiak has advice for today’s technologists: Learn something new every day. Take all the courses and receive whichever credentials you can. Become more marketable and then don’t be afraid to sell yourself.

'There's a general attitude of perseverance within this field, and we're going to do what it takes,' says ASET Executive Director Kevin Helm. 'And it's amazing.'

Debates over the need for monitoring in non-complex, routine operations stem from controversies over the efficacy of IONM and its cost effectiveness. A lecture at the recent ASET Annual Conference focused on two cases where the monitoring turned out to be critical.

A lack of training options has been a big challenge for technicians looking to break into IONM. The field, according to one expert, lacks “grassroots opportunity” — but that’s changing rapidly.

The value of a kind of multimodal brain analysis combining EEG and fNIRS has been increasing over the years — but the technology has been lagging.

A new set of guidelines and technical recommendations acknowledges the special role techs play in caring for the most fragile patients.

For the first time, researchers compare IONM with the gold-standard Stagnara wake-up test during idiopathic scoliosis correction and the results have drawn praise — with a catch.

A team at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is using wireless sleep electroencephalography (EEG) on patients undergoing medical withdrawal from opioids and have published the results of a small pilot study.

Dr. Vivian Porter, now in her 90s, talks about her start in neurodiagnostics and the path that led her to become the first EEG tech to earn a PhD.

Researchers at UT Texas Southwest document the value of video EEG in diagnosing and managing seizures.

New research explores how neurodiagnostics can benefit the hospitality industry.

“Techs with bachelor's degrees, master's degrees—they're taken a little more seriously than somebody who was on-the-job trained and worked their way up,” says EEG tech and college professor Dr. Anna-Marie Beck.

Ambu, Inc. is joining ASET to celebrate Neurodiagnostic Week, April 18-24. This week we will highlight the incredible work done by techs during a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The secret to successfully navigating the COVID-19 pandemic? A good foundation of communication made even better in the face of adversity.