Epilepsy monitoring devices in children and adolescents.The perspective of families

Background: Many parents of children and adolescents with epilepsy would like surveillance, especially of nocturnal seizures. Data on the various devices predominantly originate from a clinical setting in adults. Routine-related data for children and adolescents are lacking. Objective: Routine information and assessments were collected on the use of various monitoring devices in children and adolescents in the home setting. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a web-based survey with SoSci-Survey from 1 March 2023 to 16 April 2023 in cooperation with a parents association (e.b.e.). Results: For patients aged < 18 years a total of 153 data sets were available. Of these, 129 participants had a monitoring device in use for at least a period of time. The groups with and without seizure monitoring did not differ with respect to demographic and epilepsy-related factors. A variety of devices were used across all age groups with no obvious preference. Devices most commonly used were NightWatch (R) (N = 39), VitaGuard (R) 3100/310 (N = 18) and the various EpiCare (R) models (N = 16). In the judgement of parents, user-friendliness, safety and reliability and suitability for seizure monitoring were graded, whereby no clear and unambiguous picture emerged. Conclusion: Ultimately, no general recommendation for or against a particular device can be made based on our data. The report helps patients and physicians to gain an insight into everyday life with nocturnal monitoring and forming their own picture according to their preferences.