Seizure warning implant for epileptic

A Tasmanian epilepsy sufferer has become the first person in the world to be implanted with a device that gives patients early warnings of a seizure. Jason Dent, 26, from Hobart, last week had an implant similar to a pacemaker fitted into his chest and wired to his brain by doctors at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne who are trialling the device.
The implant will monitor electrical activity 24 hours a day from the brain's surface and send the information back to a wireless pager-type device Mr Dent now carries with him.
Mr Dent, who has put up with severe regular seizures since the age of four, hopes the implant will give him more freedom at work and while playing sport.
The supermarket worker is now more confident he will be able to get to a safe place before the seizures take hold.
"There are some periods in my life where I wouldn't have any seizures for up to two or three months and then I might have two or three in one week," he told AAP.
"Just recently I nearly got hit by a car on the road, and there have been times when I've had to come off the cricket field when I've been batting because of my seizures."
If the risk of seizure is high, a red light will show on the pager, while a white light indicates a moderate risk and a blue light signals only a low risk.
The pager can also be set to vibrate or sound a warning to alert a patient if that risk level changes.
Doctors hope the early warning system will reduce uncertainty in patients concerned about when a seizure may strike.
St Vincent's neurosciences head Professor Mark Cook said the impact on epilepsy patients' quality of life can be profound.
"Patients whose epilepsy is poorly controlled by medication, or who aren't suitable for surgery, currently live with the prospect of having a seizure at any time with little or no warning," Professor Cook said.
"This not only severely compromises their quality of life, participating in sport and undertaking certain jobs can be out of the question.
"It can also pose a threat to their life if they have a seizure while crossing the street, operating machinery or even walking up stairs."
The device, which has not yet been turned on while it collects data and builds a picture of Mr Dent's brain during a seizure, is expected to start sending warnings from next month.
Mr Dent is one of 10 patients in three Victorian hospitals who will participate in the two-year trial and if successful, the device may be widely available in three to five years.