Can a small biosensor attached to the chest by an ECG patch detect breathing patterns, including stopping breathing, during and after epileptic seizures?
ENDEAVOUR PROJECT GRANT
£146,404.75
Professor Sameer Zuberi
Royal Hospital for Children and University of Glasgow
People with epilepsy are at risk of stopping breathing during or shortly after a seizure. This can lead to a Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilpesy (SUDEP), one of the most devastating outcomes for people with epilepsy and their families. Identifying early signs of abnormal breathing could help prevent such deaths, but reliable and user-friendly tools to monitor breathing in real-world settings are lacking.
Pneumowave is a small chest-worn sensor, around the size of a 50p coin, originally developed to detect life-threatening breathing pauses in people who had overdosed. It has already been safely tested in children with neurodisability.
"Our work addresses causes and prevention of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, the number 1 priority for people with epilepsy, their carers and families. We are studying whether a small non-invasive Pneumowave biosensor, attached to the chest surface, and designed to measure breathing can detect pauses in breathing during and after seizures. Ultimately we hope to link the device to an alarm which will warn family and carers of life-threatening events, allowing a life-saving response
This study will test Pneumowave’s potential to detect changes in children undergoing inpatient epilepsy monitoring, as well as in people with Dravet Syndrome (a rare, severe form of epilepsy with a high SUDEP risk) within the home environment. The device will be used alongside other monitoring equipment and evaluated for accuracy, comfort, and ease of use. People with epilepsy and caregivers will provide feedback through questionnaires, and breathing data will be reviewed by the team’s clinical experts.
If successful, this sensor could lead to the development of a reliable seizure-related breathing alarm for use at home. This could help prevent SUDEP by alerting carers or family members to breathing problems in time to intervene. The findings will also improve our understanding of breathing patterns during seizures and guide future safety measures for people at risk.
