THE PROBLEM
Epileptic seizures manifest without warning and usually to the surprise of those around the person affected. Between 15 and 20% of death causes for people with epilepsy are related to SUDEP or prolonged seizures. Electroencephalography used in hospitals is not convenient for a long term use and the fewer existent applications create frequent fake alerts.
THE SOLUTION
The idea of designing EpSyDet came with a single mind: to prevent epileptic seizures that entail serious repercussions. This is a safe and subtle application, a first attempt for this purpose, conceived to detect epileptic seizures in real-time. The system consists of a heart rate monitor which is connected through a Bluetooth low energy connection to a mobile phone. If a seizure occurs, the application will trigger a local alert with the first aid instructions that a person has to follow in order to help. These instructions are described in a short movie with both audio and written guidance so everyone can understand. To avoid the situations when nobody is around, the application will also send a message to the guardian with the GPS coordinates of the patient. Moreover, all the heart rate information is saved online, on a journal with the seizures marked and doctors can use this information to provide a better treatment for their patients in the future.
TARGET USERS
There are officially 65 million people living with epilepsy all over the world and caregivers are desperate to find a system in which they trust. It is disturbing and almost impossible to check the patient at every moment and they need a system which offers safety, comfort and which is easy to use in a long term.
INNOVATION
EpSyDet combines the best existing technology in terms of heart rate to ensure the detection process for the long term. However, beside the real time detection of epileptic seizures, EpSyDet is more. Every user has access to a personal diary with the previous heart rate activity where the seizures are marked. Doctors can take advantage of this information and provide a better treatment for their patients. Moreover, on the basis of this application, along with some Philips researchers, doctors from Kempenhaeghe Epilepsy Centrum and also mentors of Technical University of Eindhoven, we published a scientific article for the European Conference on Ambient Intelligence, named "Epilepsy Seizure Detection App for Wearable Technologies", hosted in Eindhoven between 11 and 13 of November.
NOTE:
Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life, but we advise so, as the application is sending the GPS coordinates to a guardian when a seizure happens.