Top-Rated Seizure Monitors | July 17, 2012

Peace of mind. A good night’s sleep. Safety and assurance.

Although these seizure monitors can’t make any guarantees, they can go a long way towards detecting danger. And maybe even saving a life.

Here are the most prominent models:

Medpage Epileptic Nocturnal Convulsive Seizure Monitors

The Medpage range of seizure monitors are designed to detect Tonic-Clonic seizures, which they do very successfully with the majority of patients. Partial or absence seizures would not be detected where only facial or occasional limb twitching occurs. It is not recommended to attempt to use a monitor to detect those seizure types.

A sensor is placed between the bed base and the mattress. When a seizure begins, the muscular convulsions are detected by the bed sensor(s). All models feature an adjustable delay control, used to allow a certain amount of movement before an alarm is generated. The bed sensor sensitivity level can be adjusted to compensate for patient weight, type of bed base and mattress type. All Medpage models feature an anti-tamper alarm to warn if switched off by patient.

MP2 Nocturnal Epileptic Convulsive Seizure Monitor (UK only, but shipping quotes available.) http://www.medpage-ltd.com/page24.html

The MP2 incorporates a bed sensor for convulsive seizure detection and is equipped with a microphone for the detection of aural sounds.

Three simple controls provide bed sensor and microphone sensitivity and movement alarm delay. The sensor is positioned under the patient’s mattress. Should seizure activity begin, the sensor detects the abnormal movement. When the movement has continued beyond the delay setting, an alarm output is generated. The MP2 is equipped with a transmitter that sends an identification signal to a radio pager, desktop alarm receiver and or a telephone auto dialer.

MP5 Convulsive Seizure Detector Single Sensor Alarm (US, UK, Europe, Australia) http://www.medpage-ltd.com/page25.html

The MP5 is used for people above 56 lbs. (for monitoring 1 person) and is supplied with two radio pagers.

A sensor is placed between the bed base and the mattress. When a seizure begins, the muscular convulsions are detected by the bed sensor(s). All models feature an adjustable delay control, used to allow a certain amount of movement before an alarm is generated. The bed sensor sensitivity level can be adjusted to compensate for patient weight, type of bed base and mattress type. All Medpage models feature anti-tamper alarms to warn if switched off by patient.

The MP5 is the most popular seizure monitor with over 6,000 monitors in use worldwide.

ST2 Epileptic Seizure Monitor Alarm System (US, UK) http://www.medpage-ltd.com/page65.html

The ST2 is used for infants 14lbs. and up and all other ages.

It is designed to detect shaking or jerking movements such as those encountered during convulsive seizures and will also detect milder seizure type movements. In some cases, the unit may also detect the loss of breathing and bed absence by providing dual detection functionality, seizure monitoring and bed occupancy detection. A sensor is placed under the user’s mattress, bed or cot. During sleep, movements from the patient are monitored by the ST-2 microprocessor. Prolonged irregular movements result in an alarm being generated by the monitor with a signal transmitted to the alarm pager or other alarm in use with the ST-2 monitor.

Emfit Movement Monitor (US, Canada) http://www.emfit.com/en/care/products_care/movement-monitor/

The Emfit Movement Monitor consists of two main components; a flexible and durable bed sensor (L-4060SL) which is placed under the mattress, and a bed-side monitor (D-2090-2G) with sophisticated embedded software. The Movement Monitor detects when a person has continuous quick-paced movements over a pre-set period of time and then triggers a notification. The system also notices light movements, thus making it equally suitable for small children.

The control unit can be placed next to the bed, or on the wall, using the included fastening bracket. It is operated with 2 standard AA size 1.5 V batteries. An optional, medical grade AC adapter is also available.

Aremco (US, UK) http://www.disabilityworld.com/co/company.php?ID=3460

Aremco are leaders in the field of providing monitoring systems for detection of symptoms which may be associated with epileptic seizures.

The system provides a multifunction monitor with sensor systems including a movement sensor plate, microphone and moisture sensors. The system can detect seizure related movements, breathing movements associated with respiration, respiration rate, transient sounds, excess moisture or fluids, and bed occupancy. Audible alarms can be set for all of these parameters.

UMP Battery-Operated Infrared Bed / Chair Monitor http://www.stanleyhealthcare.com/solutions/resident-safety/fall-management/ump/monitors

The UMP Infrared Bed Monitor alerts the caregiver when an individual attempts to leave the bed.

The monitor uses infrared technology to discreetly monitor any movement from a bed. There are no cumbersome pads or cushions. The device works by emitting a harmless infrared signal that alerts the caregiver, either by triggering an audible alarm or by sending an electronic signal to a remote location through a call system.

Smart Watches:

NEW! Apple Seizalarm — A user-friendly iPhone and Apple Watch app which allow those with epilepsy and other seizure disorders to alert emergency contacts automatically when seizure-like motion is detected or manually if they need immediate help or think they might need help soon. Detects seizure-like motion, requests immediate help, seizure monitoring control, GPS location tracking, and event log tracking. http://seizalarm.com/

Embrace — Created to track your activity, stress and overall body balance, enabling people who live with Epilepsy to get an alert when an unusual event happens such as a convulsive seizure, warning them and their loved ones. https://www.empatica.com/product-embrace

The SmartWatch — A motion detecting and alerting wristwatch that can detect seizures and alert caregivers within seven to 10 seconds. http://www.smart-monitor.com/

For details and pricing information, please call 1-888-334-5045.

Epilepsy Detector Application — An accelerometer based mobile phone application that uses advanced signal processing to detect epileptic seizures. It runs on most mobile phones that support SMS messaging, movement detection and GPS position location. http://www.epdetect.com/

SAMi — A night vision monitor used to monitor and record abnormal sleep movements. Runs on an iOS device such as an iPhone or iPod Touch. http://www.samialert.com/

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