Importance of access to epilepsy monitoring units during the COVID‐19 pandemic: consensus statement of the International League Against Epilepsy and the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology∗
- 17 August 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Epileptic Disorders
- Vol. 23 (4), 533-536
- https://doi.org/10.1684/epd.2021.1292
Abstract
Restructuring of healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to lockdown of epilepsy monitoring units (EMUs) in many hospitals. The ad-hoc taskforce of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN) highlights the detrimental effect of postponing video-EEG monitoring of patients with epilepsy and other paroxysmal events. The taskforce calls for action for continued functioning of EMUs during emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-term video-EEG monitoring is an essential diagnostic service. Access to video-EEG monitoring of the patients in the EMUs must be given high priority. Patients should be screened for COVID-19, before admission, according to the local regulations. Local policies for COVID-19 infection control should be adhered to during the video-EEG monitoring. In cases of differential diagnosis in which reduction of antiseizure medication is not required, home video-EEG monitoring should be considered as an alternative in selected patients.Keywords
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