CHI St. Vincent North in Sherwood, home of the Arkansas Neuroscience Institute (ANI), strengthened the hospital’s role as the state’s neurological care leader with the establishment of a new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit in partnership with Advanced Monitoring Services. The new unit provides epilepsy patients and their physicians a suite of advanced neurodiagnostic resources including electroencephalograms (EEGs), long-term seizure monitoring and ambulatory monitoring so patients can still benefit from real-time observation by board certified staff within the unit even while at home.

“This unit is an incredible step forward for our community and those from across the state and region who come to ANI for the very best in neurological care,” said ANI Director Dr. Ali Krisht. “Staff in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit benefit from direct coordination with our team of neurosurgeons at ANI to ensure the full continuum of care as we work daily to improve treatment outcomes for patients, map the human brain and tackle the most complex cases.”

CHI St. Vincent provides a comprehensive program that incorporates all aspects of neurosurgery and the spectrum of neurological disorders. The new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit will serve patients referred by their neurologists or individuals taken to the Emergency Department because of a fall, head injury, seizure or altered mental state with an unknown cause. Patients can be admitted for inpatient monitoring over three-to-seven days where advanced equipment will track their neurological impulses for signs of epilepsy. There is also an outpatient option for those who may not be at risk to a degree that requires inpatient treatment. Outpatients are equipped with specialized devices and video equipment so medical staff can provide real-time monitoring while they are at home.

“The key here is real-time monitoring that our teams at CHI St. Vincent North and ANI are able to provide, whether a patient is with us in the hospital or at home,” said Shawn Barnett, president of CHI St. Vincent North. “Now even if they go home and suffer a second seizure a week later, our teams will be able to see where the seizure originated and then design a specialized treatment specific to their condition. That not only improves the level and timeliness of care we’re able to provide that patient, but it also gives Dr. Krisht and his team at the Arkansas Neuroscience Institute the detailed insight they need to constantly improve treatments for other Arkansans.”

The addition of the new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit further establishes CHI St. Vincent North as the regional neuroscience destination for patients to receive the most advanced and successful care. In 2019, CHI St. Vincent North completed a $30-million renovation to develop new neurosurgery, education and research facilities in central Arkansas. That included the creation of the new M.G. Yasargil Neurosurgical Research and Education Center and O. Al-Mefty Microneurosurgery Laboratory as part of ANI to improve treatment outcomes for patients, map the human brain and provide training for neurosurgeons from around the world to develop the skills necessary to tackle the most complex cases.