Hospital visits are no fun, especially for kids. For children suffering from epilepsy, a hospital visit is fairly routine to monitor brain activity when a seizure occurs. These visits typically take place in an EMU (epilepsy monitoring unit) where kids are monitored via an EEG. However, recent technology advances are letting families get this important diagnostic in the convenience of their home.
Called In-home video EEG monitoring, just launched at Child Neurology Consultants of Austin, this service can evaluate a child’s seizure while they remain comfortable in their own home.
KXAN recently shared the story of one young patient, Drew Fleharty. Drew’s mother, Cindy, says Drew is able to remain mobile and go about his regular activities at home, which is in stark contrast to typically being confined to a hospital room. She also says it’s a safety issue, too. Drew is immunocompromised which means his body can’t fight off infectious diseases like other healthy children. And so, a hospital stay puts him at risk.
Child Neurology Consultant’s board-certified neurologist and epileptologist Dr. Karen Keough says children often need to do multiple “EEG” studies to get enough information to optimally treat the seizures. “It’s much easier to do repeated studies at home.” She also adds that insurance companies are more willing to pay for this new service.
For the complete story on KXAN about Drew and the benefits of remote EEG monitoring, please click here.
