Early detection and diagnosis can have a huge impact on the treatment outcomes for many diseases and medical conditions. Epilepsy is a catch-all term for a number of conditions with abnormal electrical activity in the brain that can lead to seizures. According to the CDC, about 1.2% of the U.S. population had active epilepsy in 2015. Patients diagnosed with epilepsy have a better chance for appropriate treatment if their seizure episodes can be documented accurately. Unfortunately, many monitoring systems are bulky, inconvenient, and must be worn in a clinical setting.
EIT Health’s SeizeIT2 wearable is a small device with sensors that monitor multiple biosignals with clinical accuracy to provide a relatively rich seizure activity data analysis. The SeizeIT2 device, which works 24/7, measures brain activity, blood circulation, and respiration, along with other biometrics. The current version of the device is a discrete patch place on the upper back. This is much smaller and more convenient than traditional scanning devices.
Early studies with SeizeIT2 have involved more than 70 people with temporal lobe epilepsy. According to the SeizeIT2 team, the device, which is currently in a concept stage, detects seizures with 70-90% accuracy. The traditional method to record events is the use of seizure diaries, which generally has less than 50% accuracy.
The next steps for the SeizeIT2 project include further testing with at least 500 patients in multiple locations, to be followed by medical certification and the creation of scalable production.
