Continuous somatosensory evoked potential monitoring in the NICU

Monitoring of somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) of head-injured patients is a frequent and interesting topic in the neuroscience nursing arena. Often, however, nursing involvement in the recording of somatosensory evoked potentials has been limited to observing the once a week procedure and documenting patient outcome. Active nursing involvement and input in this fast moving area of research has been developed in a large midwestern neuroscience center where nurses in the NICU are responsible for the continuous monitoring (24 hours a day) of somatosensory evoked potentials of the brain-injured patient. These nurses are accountable for an accurate clinical assessment of the patient, placement and upkeep of the monitoring equipment, and evaluation of the waveform for abnormalities. The purpose and physiology of the monitoring process and the aspects of nursing care will be discussed in this article.