IntuiTap

The current method of performing spinal punctures requires significant guesswork and is very unreliable. In this procedure, palpation techniques are used to feel for a gap between two vertebrae through which a needle is then blindly inserted into the spinal canal for fluid collection/injection and pressure measurement. Approximately 3.7 million spinal punctures are performed annually in the U.S., of which over 70 percent fail due to a combination of physician error and patient age and obesity. Multiple attempts are required to properly place the needle, which is not only frustrating to the clinicians, but extremely painful for the patients.

IntuiTap eliminates the guesswork, frustration, and pain from spinal punctures by providing physicians real-time visualization of the underlying vertebrae. The handheld and easy-to-use IntuiTap is the world’s first tactile imaging device designed specifically to help position and guide a spinal needle for lumbar punctures, anesthesia, and epidurals.

IntuiTap also eliminates the need for unreliable and cumbersome manometers for pressure measurement by incorporating a continuous, digital pressure sensor and readout. This minimizes the incidence of failure and allows physicians to quickly and accurately get the pressure data they need. Additionally, IntuiTap makes it easy to sequentially collect cerebrospinal fluid while minimizing the chance of exposure to potentially contaminated fluid.

Overall, IntuiTap’s cutting-edge technology improves efficiency, decreases procedural costs, and instills confidence in both clinicians and patients, alike.