United Commercial Travelers Draw Will Support new EEG Monitor
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Tickets are now on sale for the United Commercial Travelers newest 50/50 draw where you could win up to $12,000 – all in support of a new Continuous EEG monitor for our youngest patients. Purchasing the first ticket is Chris Purdon, Manager of NICU and Paediatrics, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, with William Dann (left) and Garry Henry (right) from the United Commercial Travelers. |
By Heather Vita - January 19, 2019
The United Commercial Travelers have been raising funds for the Health Sciences Centre with great success with their 50/50 draws and they’re back with a new one! The proceeds from this year’s draw will specifically support the purchase of a Continuous EEG (Electroencephalography) Monitor to be used in the Paediatric Department and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non invasive monitoring method that records the activity of the brain. It is used to diagnose various disorders of the brain including sleep disorders and seizures and is done by placing electrodes along the scalp which measure the electrical activity of the brain over a set period of time (usually less than 30 minutes). Continuous EEG monitoring adds video monitoring along with the electrode monitoring over a longer period of time. Comparison of electrical activity in the brain, along with visual symptoms allows for more accurate diagnoses and is the gold standard testing for diagnosing specific types of seizures.
For infants, continuous EEG monitoring is required to closely monitor for potential seizure activity in certain high risk infants. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible to accurately identify seizure activity on an infant by visual inspection alone. Failure to recognize seizure activity can prolong the time to treatment and failure to treat seizure activity in an infant can amplify adverse outcomes.
Having continuous EEG monitoring at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre would allow for immediate, confirmed detection of seizure activity and would allow for immediate treatment for our infants. By identifying and treating all seizure activity in a high risk infant, we can significantly reduce potential adverse events and improve the overall outcome for the child.
In addition to having the ability to monitor high risk infants for seizure activity when unstable, the continuous EEG monitor can be used for clinical diagnoses that would otherwise require the child to have to be transferred to a tertiary centre. The system also has the capability to be accessed via a secure portal for which physicians can access and view the data when off site allowing for immediate assessment and treatment, regardless of where the physician is (home, office, etc). The system can also potentially be accessed by our tertiary partners and specialists at London Health Sciences Centre to further assist with diagnoses and treatment of the child without having to transfer them to another facility.
Please get your tickets for this draw and support the purchase of this much-needed piece of monitoring equipment for infants!
Tickets are $2 each and can be purchased at the Health Sciences Centre, or periodically at Canadian Tire. Maximum prize will not exceed $12,000. Draw date is November 16, 2019 at the Moose Hall at 6 p.m. Lottery license M807196.