A newly renovated four-bed unit at Royal University Hospital is now home to Saskatchewan’s fire dedicated Seizure Investigation Unit, with access to enhanced monitoring and diagnostic services.

Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO, Andrew Will, says the care provided in the SIU will make a marked difference in the lives of many people. He adds that it was designed with input from patients and family members to create a home-like atmosphere to support the unique requirements for people with difficult-to-diagnose or difficult-to-treat seizures or epilepsy. The new four-bed unit doubles the number of inpatient beds previously available, which Will says will help reduce current wait times for these patients.

Medical Director of the Saskatchewan Epilepsy Program, Dr. Alexandra Carter, says “Previously, people undergoing seizure monitoring 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.” She describes the SIU as a highly specialized and controlled environment that allows neurologists and other physicians to monitor brain activity, which typically includes performing surgical interventions to find out more about the nature and origin of the seizures.

The RUH Foundation contributed $1.2 million for this project and the province provided $1 million and will invest $1.35 million annually for operational costs in the SIU. A news release from the province says about 10,500 people in Saskatchewan are living with epilepsy.