SASKATOON – A day to raise awareness about epilepsy was marked by the opening of a new telemetry bed at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.
More than 800 donors, including families affected by epilepsy, pitched in with fundraising efforts and the RUH Foundation dedicated $100,000 to bring a second bed to the hospital.
Telemetry is a form of long-term monitoring. Electrodes are attached to the scalp to record brain signals and a ceiling-mounted video camera records seizure activity.
A doctor then reviews the video to determine the cause and location in the brain of the seizure.
“I’m very happy with the donation,” said Jose Tellez, professor of neurology with the department of medicine at the University of Saskatchewan and head of the province’s epilepsy program.
“Patients with epilepsy in the community – they have seizures. Many of them, they have falls, they have injuries, they don’t have quality of life, they don’t go to school, they don’t work, they don’t drive.”
“The level of care of neurological patients will be improved dramatically in the province.”
With the new bed, wait times for testing will be slashed from 18- to 24-months to less than a year.
“The patient stories about lives being turned around after assessment and surgery as a result of this procedure are compelling,” said Sandra Blevins, vice president of the Saskatoon Health Region.
“A second, dedicated bed to telemetry means more patients can be seen sooner.”
RUH houses the only epilepsy treatment facility in the province, making these the only two beds of their kind in Saskatchewan.
Wednesday was purple day dedicated to raising awareness about epilepsy.
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