Ambulatory EEG: Crossing the divide during a pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced temporary closure of epilepsy monitoring units across the globe due to potential hospital-based contagion. As COVID-19 exposures and deaths continues to surge in the United States and around the world, other types of long-term EEG monitoring have risen to fill the gap and minimize hospital exposure. AEEG has high yield compared to standard EEG. Prolonged audio-visual video-EEG capability can record events and epileptiform activity with quality like inpatient video-EEG monitoring. Technological advances in AEEG using miniaturized hardware and wireless secure transmission have evolved to small portable devices that are perfect for people forced to stay at home during the pandemic. Application of seizure detection algorithms and Cloud-based storage with real-time access provides connectivity to AEEG interpreters during prolonged “shut-down”. In this article we highlight the benefits of AEEG as an alternative to diagnostic inpatient VEM during the paradigm shift to mobile heath forced by the Coronavirus.

Keywords

• Ambulatory
• Electroencephalography
• Portable
• Epilepsy
• Seizure
• Utility