EpiWatch: Using technology to find peace of mind
By Teresa Prego
At EpiWatch, we are on a mission to empower people living with epilepsy to better manage their epilepsy, and to provide safety and peace of mind to individuals and their families by detecting and alerting for tonic-clonic seizures.
Epilepsy is the most common serious neurologic disorder worldwide, impacting 65 million people globally and four million in the U.S. Seizures can be dangerous, potentially causing Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). SUDEP is the second leading cause of lost years of productive life from neurological disorders, exceeded only by stroke, yet innovative tools and technologies for seizure detection and alerting are still limited.
Because of the risk of accidents and death from seizures, and the old-school approach of using patient diaries for seizure reporting, there is an urgent need for a way to easily and objectively monitor for seizures, with an easy-to-use and discreet wearable to alert caregivers if their loved one has a seizure while alone. This is exactly what EpiWatch provides. Once they receive an alert, a caregiver can reduce the risk of SUDEP by taking action or administering a rescue medication that can stop or shorten the seizure. EpiWatch was founded by two renowned Johns Hopkins epileptologists who saw this need, and took action to create a better solution.
The result is the first Continuous Seizure Monitor (CSM) running on an Apple Watch. EpiWatch is accessible, easy to set up on an Apple Watch paired with a phone, and proven accurate in detecting tonic-clonic seizures and sending out seizure notification texts and phone alerts to caregivers. (Caregivers are set up by the person wearing the Apple Watch when they activate the platform). EpiWatch also captures Apple Watch biosignals and other patient-reported data for guiding care management and seizure tracking.
As the new CEO of EpiWatch, I am thrilled to be guiding a company with such an exciting and long overdue technology. We are currently working to submit to the FDA for review and marketing clearance so that we can bring EpiWatch to market. Professionally, I have worked with medical device, digital health and health wearables for the past 20-plus years, and I see EpiWatch as one of those technologies that can be life-changing for individuals.
Personally, I have been part of the epilepsy community for the past 23 years, as the parent of a young adult (now 28) who was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 5. I know very well the impact of epilepsy on individuals and their families, and the worries and anxiety related to missing a seizure or not being close by to help. When the opportunity to be part of bringing EpiWatch to market came about, I jumped at the opportunity. I am very excited to get our product through FDA clearance, and then move on to the next challenge – making sure that EpiWatch is available to the individuals and their families and caregivers who will benefit from seizure detecting and alerting.
I am so thankful to be working with JoshProvides and other epilepsy advocacy groups to continue to push for better technologies and solutions for people living with epilepsy.
