Wednesday, May 27, 2026 (NewsDay News) — The EpiWatch seizure detection program can detect tonic-clonic seizures (TCS) with high sensitivity, according to research published online May 27. Neurology Open Access.
Gregory L. Krauss, MD, from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues enrolled 242 participants in a prospective multicenter phase 3 study of diagnostic accuracy in six epilepsy monitoring units to test sensitivity and false alarm rates in children with epilepsy (FARatchs5). years and older with a history of TCSs or clinical potential for TCSs with video-electroencephalogram monitoring. EpiWatch detection of TCS events classified by an independent panel of epileptologists blinded to device output.
The researchers found that EpiWatch detected 46 of 47 confirmed TCSs that missed a seizure when the caregiver restrained the participant’s hand (overall sensitivity, 98 percent). During 16,189 hours of monitoring, there were 56 false alarms, with a FAR of 0.08 per 24 hours, which equates to one false alarm every 12.4 days. Similarly, low FARs were seen in all age groups. There was a median detection time of 31.5 seconds. All TCSs were detected during sleep; all false alarms from sleep were associated with seizure activity. Adverse events were not recorded.
Co-authored by James W. Wheeless, MD, of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, said in a statement: “Validation of an app with fewer false alarms could encourage long-term use and provide reliable alert care to help reduce sudden death and other risks associated with tonic-clonic seizures.”
Several authors disclosed their affiliation with EpiWatch Inc., which funded the study.
