NIRS MONITORING OF SPINAL CORD ISCHEMIA IN AORTIC SURGERY

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the feasibility and clinical utility of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring applied to paraspinal muscles as a surrogate marker of spinal cord perfusion in patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery. Spinal cord ischemia represents a rare but devastating complication, often difficult to detect in real time. NIRS provides a non-invasive, continuous monitoring of regional tissue oxygen saturation (rSO₂), potentially reflecting microcirculatory changes in paraspinal tissues and indirectly spinal cord perfusion. The study will enroll adult patients undergoing major surgery requiring advanced hemodynamic monitoring. NIRS sensors will be placed over paraspinal regions, and rSO₂ values will be continuously recorded throughout the perioperative period. Hemodynamic parameters, including arterial pressure, cardiac output, and other relevant clinical variables, will be simultaneously collected. The primary objective is to assess changes in paraspinal rSO₂ during perioperative management and their relationship with systemic hemodynamic variables. Secondary objectives include the evaluation of the association between rSO₂ variations and postoperative neurological outcomes, as well as the feasibility and reliability of this monitoring technique in routine clinical practice. This study may provide preliminary evidence supporting the use of NIRS as a bedside, non-invasive tool for early detection of impaired spinal cord perfusion and for guiding hemodynamic optimization strategies.