Project for the realization of a society in which children with paroxysmal diseases can leadtheir daily lives safely

Project Gist

Wearable ECG monitoring fora better society where children with seizures and paroxysmal disorders can live safely.

Keywords

children, epilepsy, syncope, paroxysmal disorders, wearable ECG monitoring

Background and Purpose

Children with epilepsy and other paroxysmal disorders face many restrictions in their daily lives, such as restrictions in physical activities and being alone. Recently, AI technology has been enabling us to predict seizures before they occur in adults; however, the long-term ECG (electrocardiogram) and pulse wave data has been still very little in children, which will be required for seizure prediction analysis. In this research project, we aimed to collect long-term ECG recording data from children of various ages, to generate normal dataset that will serve as a basis for detecting and predicting attacks in paroxysmal disorders such as epilepsy.

Project Achievements

This research project is conducted in full cooperation with a study group for pediatric epilepsy clinics in Kyoto Prefecture, Pediatric Epilepsy Cohort Kyoto (PECK). The physicians involved are experts in pediatric neurology and child development, and are the substantial point of contact for paroxysmal events in children, such as seizures, loss of consciousness, and sudden falls. Due to the pandemic of COVID-19, we could not obtain new recording data sufficiently. Alternatively, we analyzed long-term EEG (electoroencephalogram) data that contained both actual seizure events and simultaneous ECG recording to assess the feasibility of ECG recording on seizure detection and prediction. We are continuing to collect long-term ECG recording as well as long-term EEG analysis.

Future Prospects

We will continue to work on the detection and prediction of epileptic seizures by analyzing children’s long-time ECG recordings and ECGs attached to long-time EEG recordings. Since the ECG is now being considered to be a potential marker of physical and mental stress, we hope that it could become a surrogate tool for children that speaks for their hidden discomfort and unspoken problems.

Figure

Principal Investigator