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"Patients who traveled to Clevela nd for epilepsy monitor- ing ca n now receive the sa me g reat ca re closer to home in our new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit," says Bria n Ha r te, MD, President of Clevela nd Clinic A kron Genera l. " The EMU is a n impor ta nt addition to our medica l center a nd continues our prog ress in enha ncing ca re for the A kron communit y." The A kron Genera l facilit y features the most adva nced a ll-digita l video EEG (electroencepha lography) equipment ava ilable. Operating a round the clock, the unit is sta ffed by a team of nurses, EEG technologists specia lizing in epilepsy, a nd world-renowned epileptolog ists ( boa rd-cer tif ied neu- rolog ists with subspecia lt y tra ining in epilepsy) from the Clevela nd Clinic Epilepsy Center. Imad Najm, MD, is Director of Cleveland Clinic's Epilepsy Center, one of the largest and most comprehensive programs in the world for the eva luation, medica l a nd surg ica l treat- ment of epi lepsy. The tea m a lso i ncludes specia lists i n neurolog y, neurosurger y, neuroradiolog y, nuclear medicine, psycholog y a nd psychiatr y, as well as a la rge g roup of spe- cia lized nurses, socia l workers a nd clinica l technolog ists. "The expansion of our epilepsy ser vices to A kron Genera l a nd the surrounding communities is a g reat benef it for a rea physicia ns, who may have previously needed to send patients to the Cleveland area for treatment," says Dr. Najm. "Reducing travel and transportation while providing access to the same world-class care once only available in Cleveland, a l so a l low s for hei g ht ened sat i sfa c t ion , a n i mproved experience a nd better seizure ma na gement for patients a nd their loved ones." A k r o n G e n e r a l 's E M U h a s 4 pr i v a t e r o om s , wh ic h he lp s p r o v i d e t h e i d e a l set t i n g for Dr. Najm a n d h i s t e a m t o mon itor patient s, so they ca n understa nd a n d d i a g n o s e t h e i r s ei z u r e s a c c u r at ely a nd de si g n t he b e s t treatment pla n. T h e n e w E M U i s c o n n e c t e d t o C l e v e l a n d C l i n i c 's C ent r a l Mon it or i n g Unit, one of the f irst in the world to ser ve as a live control center with EEG a nd video monitoring capability 24 hours a day, 365 days a yea r. If a patient suf fers a seizure, it is immediately detected in the Centra l Monitoring Unit a nd repor ted live to the nursing sta ff a nd clinica l providers for timely ma nagement of the patient. "Some people don't remember having a seizure if it happens when they are a lone, and many times these patients don't believe they've had any seizures for mont h s " s ay s D r. Najm . " Monitoring a nd recording of events in our unit a llows us to help these indiv idua ls under- sta nd that they may be having ma ny more seizures tha n they ever rea lized." To t h or o u g h l y l o c a t e t h e sou rce of sei z u res, Dr. Najm says the bra in's activ it y must be studied ca refully. To do this, patients in the EMU a re monitored throughout the day a nd night, both by EEG equipment to monitor brain wave activity a nd v ideo ca mera s to record body movements dur i ng a seizure. The leng th of time patients spend in the unit va ries but usua lly ra nges from three to f ive days. "Patients' bra in waves a re monitored a round the clock, a nd we a re able to see what t heir bra in does dur ing t he seizure," says Dr. Najm. "Understanding what kind of seizure is occurring a llows us to then beg in the process of putting the patient on the right treatment." After monitoring is complete, Dr. Najm and other members of his EMU tea m discuss the f indings with the patient a nd explain what treatment option is best. In addition, some cases are presented and discussed at the Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center's multidisciplinary Patient Management Conference. Recommendations for additiona l testing or surgica l resection a re t hen d iscussed w it h the patient. Add i n g suppor t to the ser vices of A kron G ener a l 's E M U i s a new out pat ient epi- lepsy clinic, providing convenient access to C l e v e l a n d C l i n i c 's Epilepsy Center. " E p i l e p s y i s d i f- f i c u l t t o t r e a t , a n d unless we diag nose it a ccu rat ely, we ca n't m a na ge it appropr i- ately," says Dr. Najm. " The comprehensive resources, technolog y, and highly skilled team of specia lized physicia ns a nd suppor t sta ff of our new EMU now a llow for a higher level of ca re for this disorder, a nd we look for wa rd to helping more patients with the ser vice." F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t C l e v e l a n d C l i n i c A k ro n G e n e ra l A d u lt E p i l e ps y Mo n it o r in g Un it a n d o utpatie nt e p il e ps y clinic , call 33 0 - 34 4 - 8 9 9 0 o r v i s it clevelandclinic.org/epilepsycenter. ■ Imad Najm, MD, Director, Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center Kelly Langenbeck, CNP, works with a patient at Cleveland Clinic Akron General's outpatient epilepsy clinic. Imad Najm, MD, Director, PHOTO BY KEN LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY, COPLEY, OH 0 7 M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S C L E V E L A N D /A K R O N / C A N T O N ■ J U LY/A U G U S T 2 017