P.069 Is 4 days enough? an investigation into short admissions to the Epilepsy monitoring unit

Abstract

Background: The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) plays a crucial role in a patient’s diagnosis and management for seizures and epilepsy. The duration of stay required to obtain adequate information is not clear, especially in the pediatric population. In this study, we examine whether a one to four day length of stay in the EMU is sufficient to obtain the necessary information. Methods: Retrospective review of 522 admissions (2014-2021). Included any patient admitted to CHEO’s EMU for any length of time. Results: The average admission was 1.75 days with 35.7% of patients requiring repeat EMU visits. Through a binary logistic regression, we show that a previous diagnosis of refractory seizures increases the chance of readmission to the EMU. However, a diagnosis of refractory seizures is also associated with a higher chance of achieving admission goals. While other factors including seizure type, weaning of meds, goals of admission, age, and gender have no influence on likelihood of readmission or achieving admission goals. Conclusions: This study indicates that having a short admission for EMU monitoring is sufficient to capture enough data to achieve admission goals in the pediatric population.