A new adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, a specialized section of the intensive care unit on the third floor of Upstate University Hospital at Community, opens today.

The unit consists of four dedicated beds for people who are newly diagnosed with epilepsy or who require seizure monitoring, to better define or identify seizure activity. Patients receive 24-hour monitoring of both their electrical brain activity and their physical activity, typically over three to five days. All of the data is reviewed daily by EEG technicians and physicians.

Upstate improves its ability to evaluate adult patients with epilepsy through this expansion. Currently, two beds at the downtown hospital‘s east tower are used for epilepsy monitoring. The new unit should reduce patient wait times and allows Upstate to provide the service at two locations.

Robert Beach MD, PhD is the unit‘s medical director. Christina Herzog is director of clinical neurophysiology. Carolyn Towers, a registered EEG technician, is assistant director.

Yaman Eksioglu MD leads the pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit, which has dedicated bed space in the Upstate Golisano Children‘s Hospital.