Epileptic seizures are associated with changes in autonomic function. Ictal asystole, when it leads to syncope, can cause severe traumatic falls. We discovered a new indirect method, based on video... Show moreEpileptic seizures are associated with changes in autonomic function. Ictal asystole, when it leads to syncope, can cause severe traumatic falls. We discovered a new indirect method, based on video, EEG and ECG, to disentangle if vasodilatation was the dominant mechanism behind the syncope. In this group of patients, pacemaker implantation is less helpful. Autonomic manifestations of epilepsy can also help to detect seizures. Our literature review discovered that combining different modalities in one detection device provides higher sensitivity, and personalization of detection algorithms can decrease false alarm rate. We validated a wearable multimodal detection system (NightWatch) on children at home. NightWatch showed high sensitivity for the detection of potentially dangerous nocturnal seizures, reduces caregiver stress and saved costs from a societal perspective. Validation of an automated video detection system showed that this could provide a good alternative for children who cannot tolerate a wearable device.From different qualitative user studies, we concluded that caregivers’ needs for seizure detection vary greatly. Also, the success of device implementation is highly dependent on the protective behavior parents developed towards their child with epilepsy. This emphasizes the importance of tailored and user-centered approaches for seizure detection. Show less
