Are you Aware of SUDEP? “SUDEP is estimated to be the reason for up to 18% of all sudden deaths in patients with epilepsy “(2010). Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy or SUDEP is an unexpected death of a healthy person with epilepsy, and there is no other explanation of their death. When someone dies from SUDEP it is usually unwitnessed and during the night hours when others are sleeping, this also makes it harder to determine if there was another cause of their death. This is what happened to 5-year-old Dallas Daniels. Dallas was diagnosed with epilepsy by the age of one and had not any problems for at least six months prior to his death. His mother said that his seizures were well controlled and there was nothing out of the ordinary to worry about. On January 12, 2011 Ms. Daniels went to wake up Dallas and found him lying face down in his bed. Dallas passed away around 7:30 that morning. Dallas’s cause of death was SUDEP, because there was no other cause to determine otherwise. His mother, like other families who suffer from this tragedy, was unaware of the meaning of SUDEP and how it could be prevented. Doctors still are not familiar with the cause of SUDEP either. There has been research done for many of years but no definite answer has been found yet. There are several possibilities that could be the cause of this sudden death such as: heart failure, respiratory problems, or brain injury. To prevent some of causes from happening there has been development of devices that can detect a seizure and to increase the chance of someone helping sooner than later. There is an implant cardiac recording device that someone can get implanted under their skin and this will continuously record that person’s heart rate (Epilepsy Review). Studies have shown, according to National Society of Epilepsy, that these recordings have been seen that individual’s heart rate can slow during a seizure by this device. As for respiratory, there are pressure pads available to monitor someone’s breathing while sleeping and to set off an alarm when apnoea is detected (Epilepsy Review). Recently there has been a device that has become more popular with families who have a loved one that experiences seizures at night; it is called the Emfit Tonic-Clonic Seizure Monitor. The Emfit is use to detect and notify a family member if a person with epilepsy is experiencing a seizure. The Emfit pad is placed under the mattress and can detect the person’s heart rate, if they are breathing, and muscle spasms that one may experience during a seizure while they are sleeping (Emfit Ltd). The device is designed to that individual person so it won’t be set off by normal movements of that individual or the partner of the individual. There are other preventions that one can do to lessen the chance of having a seizure such as wearing a seat belt, wearing protective head gear when needed, and taking any medication that you are prescribed for your epilepsy (Emfit Ltd). It is also very important for families and friends to know what to do when someone is experiencing a seizure. When you witness someone having a seizure it is good to know what you can do to help that person. Seizures can happen suddenly and many people aren’t aware that seizures cannot be stopped when they start. The main thing to do is to keep the person safe from hazardous objects and is comfortable. Do not put anything in their mouths and do not shake them. You want to place something under their head; this will protect their head from any injuries. Roll the person on their side to open up their airway and loosen any ties or shirt collars. Make sure hazards are removed from the area so nothing can endure injury. You also want to time the seizure from start to finish, if the seizure is longer than 5 minutes you want to call an ambulance to help (First Aid). For this project my job was to research more on the prevention of epilepsy and what to do when you see someone having a seizure. Also my job was to design the poster board for the Health Fair. I gathered all the information from my fellow students who were in my group and put together an informational board for the public.
References
Emfit Ltd - Emfit Tonic-Clonic Seizure Monitor. (n.d.). Emfit Ltd - Epileptic seizure alarms, epilepsy alarm and monitoring. Retrieved March 19, 2012, from http://www.emfit.com/en/care/products_care/epilepsy-monitor/
Epilepsy Foundation. (n.d.). Epilepsy Foundation. Retrieved March 19, 2012, from http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/
Epilepsy Review: SUDEP Research. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved March 19, 2012, from http://www.epilepsygrief.com.au/announcements/epilepsy-review-sudep-research
First aid for seizures | Epilepsy Action. (n.d.). Epilepsy Action | Epilepsy information and advice. Retrieved March 19, 2012, from http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/firstaid
SUDEP. (n.d.). SUDEP Aware www.sudepaware.org. Retrieved March 19, 2012, from http://www.sudepaware.org/incidence_sudep.html
Schnabel, J. (2010, March 4). New Clues to Causes of Epileptic ‘Sudden Death’ Syndrome. Brain and Brain Research Information - Dana Foundation. Retrieved March 19, 2012, from http://www.dana.org/news/features/detail.aspx?id=25722 website, m. a. (n.d.). First aid for seizures | Epilepsy Action. Epilepsy Action | Epilepsy information and advice. Retrieved March 19, 2012, from http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/firstaid
