Evoked potentials during cardiac and major vascular operations

Somatosensory evoked potentials are widely used in spine surgery to prevent injury to the spinal cord. However, their application in cardiac and major vascular surgery is largely unappreciated. This paper will review the unique stresses placed on peripheral nerves, spinal cord, and brain during these operations. In addition, the potential benefits of peri-operative somatosensory evoked potentials monitoring are described in detail.