Neurotelemetry
What is it?
Neurotelemetry is the real-time monitoring of long-term video EEG in the ICU and other areas of the hospital by R.EEG Ts or CLTMs technologists with oversight assessment and intervention by the neurologist.
Recent advances in cEEG analysis make real-time bedside monitoring of brain activity possible so that neurologic status can be assessed and tracked as easily as cardiopulmonary status.
Dr. Lawrence Hirsch, Yale University. Comprehensive Epilepsy Montoring Program
"Continuous EEG Monitoring in the ICU"
Neurotelemetry: The Future of Brain Monitoring
"Continuous EEG Monitoring in the ICU: Future Directions," by Daniel Friedman, MD, Jan Claassen, MD , and Lawerence Hirsch, MD.
ANESTHESIA & ANALGESIA, Vol. 109, No. 2, August 2009
CONCLUSION
"In summary, cEEG is becoming an important technique for assessing neurologic status in the critically ill. Many of these patients, including those with known brain injury such as TBI, stroke, or SAH, as well as patients without structural brain injury, are at high risk for NCSz or NCSE, which can only be detected by cEEG. Therefore, cEEG should be considered
not only in those with acute brain injury and impaired mental status but also in all ICU patients with unexplained alteration in consciousness, even if
they do not have a history of seizures or brain injury."
Advances in cEEG analysis may soon make real-time bedside monitoring of brain activity possible so that neurologic status can be assessed and tracked as easily as cardiopulmonary status. The information technology infrastructure is already in place in many hospitals to make remote monitoring of cEEG possible, opening the door for true, real-time, continuous brain telemetry.
Continuous EEG Monitoring
What is it?
Introduction to cEEG Monitoring
The diagnostic electroencephalogram (EEG) provides a noninvasive way to dynamically assess brain function. The goal of continuous electroencephalographic (cEEG) monitoring is to recognize a decline in a patient's condition before physical signs and symptoms are present. Continuous live video-EEG monitoring by a registered EEG technologist of the raw EEG waveforms is considered the gold standard for seizure detection.
Because of the recent advance involving microprocessor speeds, software algorithms and video data compression, it is now possible to record and monitor the continuous digital EEG of multiple critically ill patients simultaneously. Continuous EEG monitoring provides dynamic information about brain function that permits early detection of changes in neurologic status, which is especially useful when the clinical examination is limited.