PORT JEFFERSON, NY – Mather Hospital has opened a special monitoring unit for individuals with epilepsy. Patients will come in for multi-day admission and will undergo continuous video electroencephalography (EEG), which will allow the healthcare team to make a more accurate diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

Consisting of four single beds in the hospital’s 3 North patient unit, the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) is staffed by epileptologists, neurologists, nurses, hospitalists, and EEG technicians. The unit is headed by Usman Mirza, MD, who completed his residency in neurology and a fellowship in EEG/Epilepsy, both at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine.

“The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit is very important in the optimal evaluation and management of patients living with epilepsy and suffering from seizure-like events,” Dr. Mirza said. “Studies show that longer video EEG recordings increase the chances of capturing brain wave abnormalities. Furthermore, the data obtained about their seizures/events can be a vital learning tool for patients and families to be better prepared and to play a stronger role in their treatment plans.”

Video EEG uses a video camera and recorder to track brain wave activity during and between seizures so doctors can review and analyze what happens when the patient has a seizure and determine the best course of treatment.  Other times, patients who may be having seizure-like events benefit from being evaluated in the EMU to clarify diagnosis and guide management.

Referrals to the unit will be made by a neurologist or other healthcare providers in consultation with neurology.

“This new program is another example of how Mather Hospital embraces innovative ways to raise the health of the community and exceed expectations of what healthcare should be,” said Kevin McGeachy, Executive Director.

 

About Mather Hospital

Mather Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high-quality health care services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion, respect and treating each patient in the manner

we would wish for our loved ones. Mather earned the highest five-star rating for 2023 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for outcomes, patient experience and process and has earned the prestigious Magnet® recognition three times from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. The hospital was rated high performing by U.S. News & World Report 2023-2024 Best Hospitals rankings in gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, orthopedics, pulmonology and lung surgery, heart failure, and kidney failure. Mather also was named one of America’s 250 best hospitals for 2023 and 2024 by Healthgrades and received the Healthgrades 2023 and 2024 Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ for the fourth consecutive year and received its 20th top A grade in the spring 2024 ratings for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group. Our Graduate Medical Education program prepares physicians for future careers through Internal Medicine, Transitional Year, Diagnostic Radiology, Interventional Radiology, and Psychiatry residency programs and gastroenterology and hematology/oncology fellowships. For information about Mather Hospital, visit matherhospital.org or follow us @MatherHospital on Facebook.

 

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, about 900 outpatient facilities and more than 12,000 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 87,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,900 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.