Seizure Monitoring Unit

Seizures can occur with little or no warning and can be caused by a number of medical or health conditions that often can be hard to diagnose and/or treat. Norton Audubon Hospital is home to the region’s newest seizure monitoring unitdedicated to providing quality care, diagnosis and treatment for patients suffering from seizures and epilepsy.

The seizure monitoring unit at Norton Audubon Hospital is a specialized, six-bed inpatient unit designed to evaluate, diagnose and treat seizures. Patients are typically admitted to this unit to undergo prolonged video electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring. Video EEG offers a continuous reading of brain activity day and night. Monitoring brain activity with video EEG assists the epileptologist in determining the type of seizure, its origin and which treatment options may have the highest success rate.

The unit is a member of the National Association of Epilepsy Centers and provides:

  • Physicians, nurses and clinicians specially trained to care for and monitor patients experiencing seizures.
  • State-of-the-art monitoring and diagnosis equipment.
  • All-private rooms with enhanced comforts.

During monitoring, seizure medications may be decreased or stopped for evaluation purposes. Once patients are discharged, medications may be reintroduced with some modifications depending on treatment.

Length of stay in the unit will depend on the severity of the patient’s seizures. Family members are welcome and encouraged to stay with patients to make them feel more at home and relaxed.

Prior to most admissions, an outpatient neurologic consultation is scheduled for those patients not referred by a neurologist. During the patient’s hospital stay, an epileptologist will be responsible for his or her care and may consult with other physicians for diagnosis and treatment. A complete report of findings and recommendations for treatment is shared with the patient’s referring physician.

Specialists in epilepsy care

The seizure monitoring unit at Norton Audubon Hospital is staffed with two board-certified epileptologists specially trained in diagnosing and treating seizures and epilepsy. Rebekah Woods, D.O., and Hal Corwin, M.D., are co-medical directors of the program.

For more information about the seizure monitoring unit at Norton Audubon Hospital, call (502) 636-7401.

About seizures and epilepsy

Contrary to popular belief, epilepsy is not a disease. It is a sign or symptom of an underlying neurological disorder. In simple terms, a seizure is a temporary disturbance in the electrical activity of the brain. This change in activity affects the brain’s normal functions and produces changes in a person’s movement, behavior or consciousness – resulting in a seizure.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana, more than 2.5 million people in the United States and 40 million people worldwide have some form of epilepsy. One in 10 Americans will experience some type of seizure in their lifetime. While not all seizures are the result of epilepsy, 125,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed nationwide each year. In Kentucky and Southern Indiana, more than 90,000 people have the condition, many of whom go untreated and undiagnosed.

The cause of epilepsy is often difficult to diagnosis. In fact, it’s estimated that nearly 70 percent of the time a cause is never determined. The most frequent identifiable causes are:

  •  Heredity
  •  Head trauma
  •  Brain tumor
  •  Stroke
  •  Poisoning (including drug and alcohol abuse)
  •  Infection
  •  Maternal injury

There are many different forms of epilepsy treatment. Major medical advancements have been made to help control or eliminate seizures in many patients. Depending on the diagnosis, treatment can range from changes in diet to medical intervention or surgery. Although it may vary from patient to patient, treatment is most effective when a proper diagnosis is made.