Examination of the Consequences of Various Anesthetic Agents on Auditory Evoked Potential Recordings

Neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring (NIOM) has been widely used during surgical procedures in hopes of preserving cranial nerve function and achieving better postoperative outcomes for patients. Audiologists have contributed greatly to the field of NIOM for many years. Many pharmacological agents used to induce sedation and anesthesia, along with a variety of other factors, such as gender, age, and body temperature changes that occur during surgery have been shown to impact auditory evoked potential recordings. Knowledge of the various effects of anesthesia can better prepare audiologists to recognize and correct for changes that may occur as a result of anesthetics used during surgery. Therefore, a single reference of normative data pertaining to anesthesia should be developed as a source for audiologists pursuing or practicing a career in NIOM. Expert knowledge of anesthetics and their effects on evoked potentials will improve intraoperative patient care and strengthen the audiologist’s claim to the field of NIOM