Seizure and epilepsy unit opens at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital

A new unit at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital is dedicated to helping those who suffer from epilepsy or other disorders that cause seizures.

According to the Ministry of Health, the $2.2-million Seizure Investigation Unit (SIU) is “a highly specialized and controlled environment that allows neurologists and other physicians to monitor brain activity in patients for a certain period. This typically includes performing surgical interventions to gather important information, such as the nature and origin of seizures.”

While many patients with epilepsy or other seizure disorders can control seizures through medication, the ministry noted that in some cases surgery can also be an option depending on the data from monitoring and diagnostic treatments.

About 10,500 people live with epilepsy in Saskatchewan, the ministry noted.

A release said the new SIU was constructed with input from patients and their families in order to create “a nurturing, home-like atmosphere” in order to ensure that all patients feel comfortable in the new unit.

The new unit includes four beds, which doubles the number of inpatient beds currently available and will help reduce wait times. Previously, some of the hospital’s patients had to be sent to Calgary.

Dr. Alexandra Carter, the medical director of the Saskatchewan Epilepsy Program, said the dedicated unit will be a real game-changer for the hospital and patients across the province.

“Previously, people undergoing seizure monitoring at RUH found themselves in a shared space alongside critically ill patients, which heightened their stress and presented obstacles for our medical team to capture crucial patient information,” Carter said in a statement.

“Our new Seizure Investigation Unit creates an environment where comfort and cutting-edge care converge, allowing us to provide advanced medical care tailored to our patients’ needs and help fulfil our mission to the people of Saskatchewan living with seizures and epilepsy.”

Dr. Cassie Fleury, physician lead for the SIU, said the unit will allow for more effective treatment for drug-resistant patients.

“Thirty per cent of people with epilepsy don’t respond to anti-seizure medications, and in those cases we look into surgical options,” Fleury said.

Currently Fleury and Carter are the only trained epileptologists in the province, but Carter said the new unit could change that.

“This is really going to help us with recruitment,” Carter said. “We are hoping to expand to four or five epileptologists, and I think that would be very reasonable based on who many patients we see and need to treat.”

The Royal University Hospital Foundation kicked in $1.2 million to help fund the creation of the new SIU, while the provincial government provided the other $1 million. The unit is expected to receive $1.3 million in annual operating funding from the province.

“Working together, we are enhancing the care available and the quality of life for those living with seizure disorders and epilepsy in Saskatchewan,” foundation CEO Jennifer Molloy said in a statement.