Patients in North Georgia who suffer from seizures, undiagnosed epilepsy or epilepsy that’s not responding to treatment can now get advanced help through a new epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville.
“Adding an EMU is important for our community because it helps us better diagnose and care for patients who suffer from seizures,” said Michael Glanzman, executive director of Neurosciences at NGMC. “An EMU is a unique type of hospital unit that allows patients to have a seizure in a safe, controlled environment where technology can record a patient’s brain activity during the episodes – which the expert care team analyzes and then uses the information to create a specialized treatment plan.”
Patients in the EMU are cared for by specialty-trained nurses, technologists and physicians who collaborate to provide safe and effective care. The specialized equipment in the rooms allows patients to undergo continuous video electroencephalograms (EEGs) 24 hours a day to measure electrical activity in the brain. These “smart rooms” are equipped with various lights, alarms, microphones and cameras which are remotely monitored to ensure safety at all times.
Patients are referred to the EMU by an epileptologist, which is a neurologist who receives additional, focused training in the diagnosis and treatment of seizures. Seizures can sometimes be difficult to capture in shorter studies, so patients can expect to stay in the hospital for anaverage of 3 to 5 days to ensure the best results.
To learn more about NGMC’s EMU, visit nghs.com/EMU.
About NGMC
Since 1951, Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has been on a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. With hospitals located in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder, Dahlonega and Demorest, the five NGMC campuses have a total of more than 1,000 beds and more than 1,500 medical staff members representing more than 60 specialties. NGMC is part of Northeast Georgia Health System, a non-profit that cares for more than one million people across more than 19 counties. Learn more at nghs.com.