New epilepsy warning device detects severe nighttime seizures

A new epilepsy monitoring device detects 85 percent of all severe night-time seizures, which the designers say is a big technological improvement.

Researchers developed a bracelet that recognizes two essential characteristics of severe attacks: an abnormally fast heartbeat and rhythmic jolting movements. The bracelet sends a wireless alert to caregivers or nurses.The bracelet was restricted to sounding an alarm during a severe seizure. To check if there were any false alarms or attacks that Nightwatch might have missed, the patients also were filmed.

Researchers in the Netherlands tested the bracelet, known as Nightwatch, in 28 intellectually disabled epilepsy patients over an average of 65 nights per patient. 

Tested were 34 participants over a total of 1,826 nights, during which there were 809 major seizures. Six of them did not complete the study.

life.ru