Aug 5, 2008 5:03 pm US/Central
New Technology Helps Texas Epilepsy Patients
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBS) ―
Wireless technology is designed to make all of our lives easier. But it's opened a whole new world to some patients at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
Despite having epilepsy, 9-year old Stetson Cantrell races through the hallways at the hospital. He's now able to roam, thanks to a wireless EEG.
"Before we couldn't get out at all and this way he can at least run around and get some energy out," says Stetson's mother, Lori Cantrell.
The wireless device records Stetson's brain activity, hopefully catching a seizure so that doctors can better understand what triggers them and what medications he needs.
Before the wireless system, Stetson and other epilepsy patients were tethered to 30-foot cords which closely resemble a phone cord. "It's horrible, it breaks your heart because there's nothing you can do," Cantrell said about the previous monitoring system. "You know you have to do this because it's for his health."
The new system allows patients to walk nearly everywhere in the hospital.
Dr. Angel Hernandez, Medical Director of Cook Children's Epilepsy program, marvels at how the new device has changed patient's lives. "It is a big breakthrough, especially in the pediatric world because children don't like to be in bed 24-hours a day 7-days a week," Hernandez explained. "A lot of the children here are here for more than 2-3 days."
Stetson began using the wireless technology Monday and has been 'on the move' ever since. "It changed our relationship in that little bit of time," his mother said. "It made us stronger because we could do something together and get out and come back and feel refreshed."
Doctors say the new monitoring system makes for a better hospital stay and better treatment.
Cook Children's Medical Center is the first hospital in North Texas to use the technology with epilepsy patients.
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