WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- The seizure detection application EpiWatch can detect tonic-clonic seizures (TCSs) with high sensitivity, according to a study published online May 27 in Neurology Open Access.
Gregory L. Krauss, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues enrolled 242 participants in a prospective, multicenter phase 3 diagnostic accuracy study at six epilepsy monitoring units to examine the sensitivity and false-alarm rates (FARs) of EpiWatch for detecting TCSs in children and adults aged 5 years and older with a history of TCSs or clinical potential for TCSs undergoing video-electroencephalogram monitoring. EpiWatch detections were compared to TCS events classified by an independent panel of epileptologists blinded to device output.
The researchers found that EpiWatch detected 46 of 47 verified TCSs, with one seizure missed when a caregiver restrained the participant's arm (overall sensitivity, 98 percent). During 16,189 hours of monitoring, there were 56 false alarms, with a FAR of 0.08 per 24 hours, which was equivalent to one false alarm every 12.4 days. Similarly, low FARs were seen in all age groups. There was a 31.5-s median detection latency. All TCSs during sleep were detected; all false alarms from sleep were associated with seizure activity. There were no adverse events reported.
"Being prescribed an app with fewer false alarms can encourage long-term use and provide reliable caregiver alerts to help reduce sudden unexpected deaths and other risks associated with tonic-clonic seizures," coauthor James W. Wheless, M.D., from Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed ties to EpiWatch Inc., which funded the study.
