NIH-funded Development of Mobile Seizure Alert Device Continues

Of the two million people treated for epilepsy  in the United States, one out of three sufferers continue to have seizures despite treatment. A new mobile seizure alert device may aid in addressing the needs of patients and caregivers. The alert device, developed by RTI after a $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, contains noninvasive sensors that detects seizures through the physiological effects of the autonomic nervous system’s elevated activity.

“A major concern of people with epilepsy and their family is the possibility that an unwitnessed seizure might cause serious injury, loss of consciousness, or even death,” said Barbara Kroner, PhD, co-principal investigator of the project. “The RTI seizure alert system could have a substantial and measurable impact on the epilepsy community by decreasing the number of seizure-related injuries and deaths, improving quality of life, and increasing independence for both patients and caregivers. Perhaps the most significant benefit of our device is the potential to decrease the incidence of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP), which is most often an unwitnessed nocturnal event related to a tonic-clonic seizure. In these cases, our monitoring device, which includes cardiac and respiratory sensors, could be life saving.” Click here to read the full article.