A new method of detecting neonatal seizures

A series of Wellcome Trust grants awarded to a team of engineers and clinicians has funded the development and testing of a computer algorithm that can detect seizures in babies being treated in neonatal intensive care units. This algorithm is compatible with existing EEG units, and will help clinicians identify the frequency and severity of seizures, allowing appropriate treatment steps to be taken.

Seizures in newborn babies often indicate underlying neurological problems. If the seizures are not identified, and the causes treated, long-term brain damage may result. However, neonatal seizures are subtle and difficult to diagnose – in many cases they are ‘clinically silent’ and only detectable via EEG. Many hospitals lack the expertise required to interpret the highly complex brain patterns.

An automated system that can be used in neonatal intensive care units to detect seizures has been developed by a collaborative team of engineers and clinicians. Led by Dr Liam Marnane and Professor Geraldine Boylan (University College Cork), the team has created an algorithm that can monitor EEG outputs in real-time, telling doctors when seizures happen, how long they last and how often they occur. This allows physicians to administer appropriate drugs at the appropriate time. The new algorithm is compatible with existing infant EEGs.

An initial Wellcome Trust Translation Award, made in 2008, allowed the group to evaluate the algorithm against large amounts of real world data, in collaboration with Dr Janet Rennie, Consultant Neonatologist at University College Hospital. A Strategic Translational Award, made in 2012, will fund a multi-centre validation of the algorithm, comparing its level of seizure detection with that of a group of international experts. The Award for a “Multicentre clinical evaluation of a neonatal seizure detection algorithm” will also fund a trial testing the algorithm in a clinical setting in hospitals across Europe. The project has been named “Algorithm for Neonatal Seizure Recognition (ANSeR) and will be launched at a meeting attended by representatives of the Wellcome Trust on the 3^rd of April 2013.

For further information: http://www.medscinet.net/Anser/