Pediatric Seizure Alarm: A Pilot Study to Establish Efficacy Parameters

For parents of children with epilepsy, seizures occurring in sleep are a major concern. This frequently leads to many nights of lost sleep for parents and also to unfavorable sleeping arrangements, especially for older children and adolescents. Sudden unexplained death in epilepsy patients (SUDEP) is also a major concern for both parents and neurology practitioners. Patients with epilepsy have increased risk of sudden unexplained death compared to the rest of the population. The risk of sudden death in epilepsy is estimated at 24 times the risk of the general population. Specific risk factors for sudden death have been evaluated and the most frequently reported risk factors include: nocturnal seizures, being in bed, and history of generalized tonic -clonic seizures. Interestingly, one case-control study observed a decreased risk of SUDEP with nighttime monitoring or supervision which raises the possibility that some cases of SUDEP may be preventable if another person is able to give assistance. This finding may indicate that some of these deaths may be preventable if a caregiver could be alerted to seizure activity. Use of "baby monitors", apnea monitors and pulse oximeters to monitor their children at night has been attempted by families; however, these devices are not specific to seizure activity and in the case of apnea monitors and pulse oximeters have frequent false alarms leading to further anxiety and sleep disturbance for families. Therefore, there is a need for a product that can reliably detect seizure activity without such frequent false positives as to interfere with sleep and functional life.