When patients arrive in the emergency department confused, unresponsive, or experiencing seizure-like episodes, time is critical. Worried families want answers quickly, and doctors need to understand what’s happening inside the brain as soon as possible.
At T.J. Samson Community Hospital, new technology is helping give doctors faster information for patients with potentially dangerous neurological issues. Recently T.J. Samson became the first hospital in the U.S. to introduce BrainWatch from Natus, a rapid electroencephalogram (EEG) system that delivers critical insights to suspected seizure activity in patients within minutes. Not all seizures show visible signs when they are occurring, and EEG acts as a window into the brain for doctors to provide diagnosis and treatment. Using a comfortable, wireless headband, BrainWatch begins recording brain activity almost immediately, giving doctors valuable insights right from the start. Dr. Kyra Schmidt, a Board-certified neurologist at T.J. Samson, championed the implementation of this exciting new technology. “Even in the best circumstances, a traditional EEG testing may have a wait time of up to several hours,” says Dr. Schmidt. “For some patients, this is a crucial window for us to provide treatment. BrainWatch gives us the data we need to confidently diagnose and treat patients much faster.”
BrainWatch does not replace traditional EEG testing, which is still essential for comprehensive neurological evaluations. Instead, it provides early insight when time is critical, helping doctors and care teams determine next steps more confidently. With BrainWatch, Dr. Schmidt and others at T.J. Samson can often see EEG data in as little as ten to fifteen minutes. “It is extremely fast,” said the neurologist. “If my patient comes in unconscious, or experiencing what looks like an active brain episode, I can make an accurate clinical judgment pretty quickly.”
And results are already being seen. In one example, a young patient had previously undergone 24-hour EEG monitoring at another hospital with normal results. Months later, the patient arrived at T.J. Samson’s emergency department with more symptoms. BrainWatch was applied immediately and identified seizure activity within minutes, allowing treatment to begin right away. “This experience demonstrates how BrainWatch complements traditional EEG,” Dr. Schmidt said. “With BrainWatch, we are catching events as they happen, often in the most critical moments.”
At many smaller hospitals, patients must travel elsewhere (and often quite far) for specialized neurological evaluations, which can delay care and add stress for families. More rapid access to EEG data has helped T.J. Samson avoid transferring some of these patients. BrainWatch provides timely EEG information so transfer decisions can be made with greater confidence. This helps more patients stay close to home for their care.
“BrainWatch does not replace traditional EEG. It adds something that patients need, which is speed when it matters most,” said Ryan Skinner, Director of Clinical Improvement at T.J. Regional Health. “BrainWatch gives us the ability to offer faster, more informed care right here in our community.” With plans to expand use beyond the emergency department into the ICU and inpatient units, T.J. Samson Community Hospital is demonstrating that advanced neurology care can be offered even in smaller cities and rural areas – bringing faster answers and earlier treatment closer to home.
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About T.J. Regional Health
T.J. Regional Health, the parent system of T.J. Samson Community Hospital and T.J. Health Columbia is accredited by The Joint Commission and is the healthcare destination in southcentral Kentucky. In addition to two hospitals, the growing organization owns and operates the T.J. Health Pavilion, the Family Medicine Center and Residency Program, Hospice and Home Care Services, T.J. Orthopedics, Rural Health Clinics throughout southcentral Kentucky, and R+ Med Spa. For more information about the services offered at T.J. Regional Health, please visit www.tjregionalhealth.org.
(Stacey Biggs, EVP of Marketing, Planning & Development – T.J. Regional Health)