The need for neurological disposable tech amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Stuart Bernstein, VP of marketing at Brain Scientific, examines the need of neurological disposable technology following the effects of COVID-19.
When one thinks about the ramifications of COVID-19, they often think of the physical toll it takes on the body: muscle aches, coughing and overall physical lethargy. But there are dire, long-lasting neurological consequences that, unfortunately, have not received the same level of international attention. New studies have found that the virus’ impact on the brain can span the spectrum of headaches, dizziness and even strokes, among other things, and can strike throughout the various stages of a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Though it may not be receiving the same elevated level of national attention, neurological disorders in relation to COVID-19 diagnoses are becoming quite common, with one Neurology study finding that 13.5% of diagnosed patients studied in New York City developed a new neurological disorder about two days from the outset of symptoms.
These neurological disorders do not just have negative long-term implications but also can increase short-term morbidity rates for those who have contracted the virus. This means that in addition to tending to a patient’s physical and respiratory needs while sick with the virus, doctors and nurses also need to administer them with an EEG, a lengthy, time-consuming process. This can all be a bit much, making it clear that with this trend of increased morbidity for COVID-19 patients along with the time it takes to administer and then clean EEGs, there needs to be increased access to single-use neurological testing equipment.
In addition to the COVID-19 patients in need of a brain scan, millions of individuals face neurological issues each year that require an EEG for proper diagnosis. Around the globe, more than 50 million people are diagnosed with Epilepsy each year, another 47.5 million with Dementia, and 40 million patients with Alzheimer’s. Brain scans allow clinicians to diagnose, treat, and cure mental conditions. With crowded hospitals and medical clinics facing a lean staff, administering timely brain scans with proper sanitary precautions in place could prove difficult in the current times.
The solution is clear and has come in the form of disposable EEG headsets. These devices can be quickly integrated into the current, standard medical processes for COVID-19 patients, and those without COVID-19, in need of a brain scan to swiftly acquire, record, transmit and display a patient’s electrical brain activity. These headsets would be a massive help to the burdens of neurological health treatment for patients suffering from COVID-19.
- Increased Accessibility – EEG technicians are not always readily available at a moment’s notice for a patient. With disposable EEGs, there is a much quicker learning process for medical professionals to be properly trained with the devices, thus allowing more professionals the ability to administer them. This will massively increase the current patient accessibility to EEGs, which, in turn, will allow doctors to make faster medical assessments, likely resulting in lives saved.
- Improved Time Management – Disposable headsets are ready to go. They come pre-gelled and with fixed electrodes, making the often-time-consuming process of measuring and placement done in a flash. This reduced prep time allows for doctors to take more time analysing the findings of the EEG results.
- Reduced Infection Spread – There is quite a bit of sanitation that needs to be done when preparing an EEG, especially when dealing with patients who have a virus as contagious as COVID-19. A disposable EEG allows medical professionals to quickly conduct the necessary tests without having to devote nearly as much time to giving the equipment a proper cleaning, since no other patients will be using the device.
Disposable EEG headsets are the future: they are simple, cost-effective and can easily be integrated into the existing processes for COVID-19 patients. Their effectiveness and reliability for identifying the neurological state of a patient makes them not only a fantastic tool for use during the ongoing pandemic but will continue to be useful for years beyond.