Ireland – Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products – The Supply of Thermo Testing Devices Nationally

HSE Procurement intend to purchase approximately 2 Pain and Sensory Evaluation Systems from Advanced Medical Equipment for the objective assessment of sudomotor function and peripheral small-fibre/autonomic neuropathy. The proposed Sudomotor Function Assessment System will form part of the Neurophysiology department’s diagnostic pathway and will be used alongside Thermal Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST), with both technologies providing complementary information in the assessment of patients with suspected small-fibre and autonomic nerve dysfunction. The proposed Sudomotor Function Assessment System is understood to be the only system of its type currently available and certified for clinical use within the relevant market, using electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) of the hands and feet as the basis for quantitative sudomotor assessment. The proposed system provides a non-invasive, quantitative assessment of sudomotor function, with results available within a short assessment period, and is intended to complement existing neurophysiological investigations. The requirement is based on the specific clinical and technical functionality required by the service rather than on a preference for a particular manufacturer. The Sudomotor assessment technology and Thermal QST provide complementary diagnostic information in the assessment of small-fibre neuropathies and autonomic dysfunction and may identify abnormalities that are not necessarily demonstrated through conventional nerve conduction studies/electromyography (NCV/EMG) alone. The clinical team has advised that the combination of objective sudomotor assessment and Thermal QST is of particular clinical value, as the two investigations assess different aspects of small-fibre and autonomic nerve function and may provide complementary findings. Both technologies are also used in specialist neurophysiology settings for the objective assessment of small-fibre neuropathy and may assist in supporting clinical diagnosis...