“For people who have uncontrolled tonic-clonic seizures, which can include a loss of muscle tone and airway obstruction, the risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, called SUDEP, is high, particularly for those who sleep alone,” said study author James W. Wheless, MD, of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.

“Wearable seizure detection devices can alert caregivers so they can provide first aid, but some devices have high false alarm rates that can discourage use and timely intervention. Our study found the EpiWatch smartwatch app detected nearly all tonic-clonic seizures in participants and had a lower rate of false alarms.”