A wireless and contactless radio frequency sensor to detect bilateral tonic-clonic seizures and respiratory changes in the epilepsy monitoring unit: a phase 0/1 study

ABSTRACT A novel wireless motion-detection device (WMDD) utilizes a low radio frequency (RF) emission/sensing system to isolate a patient’s movement with high sensitivity and spatial resolution. The device was evaluated for detecting focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (FBTCS) and respiratory changes. A prospective study of patients ≥18 years old admitted to a tertiary care epilepsy monitoring unit was conducted. Data from the WMDD was compared to video-EEG and respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) belts to assess the onset of convulsive seizures and to assess respiratory signals. Eighty-seven consecutive patients were enrolled, including 9 with RIP belts; 11 FBTCS were captured. The WMDD revealed identifiable RF signal changes in all FBTCS at the onset of motor activity.
Higher total RF amplitude was seen during FBTCS, compared to non-seizure movements from interictal controls. The WMDD was able to detect respiratory changes that correlated with RIP changes. A contactless device using low-power RF that does not require a line-of-sight may be developed to detect FBTCS.

Co-authors: Hernan Nicolas Lemus, Hao He, Ali Mirzazadeh, Emily Lapinskas, Dustine Reich, Steven Tobochnik, Dina Katabi, Jong Woo Lee