Your Experience at the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit

This is Hope, a retired Children's Mercy's facility dog. When she worked for the hospital, her job was to provide comfort, motivation, and smiles to children while making the hospital feel more like home.

Hope has made a special visit to the hospital to help you learn about going to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas.

Hope will help you learn about the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at Children's Mercy.

Everyone’s brain works differently. The EMU is a place where we can learn more about how your brain works.

Checking in

When you and your family arrive, you will check in at the Security desk.

You will take the elevator to the 3rd floor and check in at the nurses’ station.

The nurse will take you to a room where you and your family will stay during your EMU visit.

General check ups

You can bring your favorite blanket and toy from home.

Hope wears a special bracelet for the EMU at Children's Mercy. — You will wear a special bracelet with your name on it.

Hope getting her blood pressure checked in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — The nurse will put a blood pressure cuff around your arm or leg. It feels like a tight hug or squeeze. This tells the nurse how fast your blood is moving through your body.

Hope gets her height measured in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — The nurse will measure how tall you are.

Hope stands on a scale in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — Next, you will stand on a scale to see how much you weigh.

The nurse uses a stethoscope on Hope in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — The nurse will listen to your heart using a stethoscope.

What you need to know

A Child Life Specialist visits Hope in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — A child life specialist will come to teach you about the special test the doctors and nurses will do to learn more about how your brain works.

Child Life specialist demonstrates test for Hope in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — This is a little tube that blows air.

A Pharmacist visits Hope in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — A person called a Pharmacist will talk to you and your family about the medicines you take.

An EMU tech prepares a child for their test at Children's Mercy. — A person called an EMU tech will help you get ready for your test. The tech will use lots of different supplies.

Preparing for your test

An EMU tech marks spots on Hope's head in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — The EMU tech will use a red crayon to mark spots on your head where the electrodes need to go. Electrodes are small, round stickers. Each sticker has a wire that connects to a computer. The computer shows how your brain is working.

The EMU tech cleans spots on Hope's head at Children's Mercy. — The EMU tech will put lotion on your head to clean the places that are marked with the red crayon. You can watch the iPad if you want!

The tech will use special glue and gauze over the electrodes to keep them in place.

The EMU tech uses gauze on Hope at Children's Mercy. — Gauze is a soft white cloth.

The EMU tech uses a small tube to dry the glue on Hope's head at Children's Mercy. — The tech will use a little tube to blow air to help dry the glue. It feels like a cool breeze!

The EMU tech at Children's Mercy add a bandage to Hope's head to secure everything in place. — The tech will put a soft bandage around your head to keep everything in place.

You're ready!

The EMU tech plugs wires in next to Hope at Children's Mercy. — The tech will plug the wires into a small box that you will need to keep with you during the test.

Hope shows what it looks like to be ready for testing in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — This is a picture of Hope showing you how it looks once everything is in place for your test.

Taking your test

The EMU tech instructs Hope to blow on the pinwheel for testing at Children's Mercy. — During your test, you will need to do things like blow on a pinwheel for 3 minutes. The tech will tell you what you need to do.

The EMU tech puts a strobe light on Hope for testing at Children's Mercy. — Next, the tech will put a special light by your face called a strobe light. It turns on and off for 5 minutes.

The doctor visits Hope in the EMU at Children's Mercy during testing. — During your test, the doctors will come talk will come talk with you and your family.

Getting ready for the IV

Hope receives an IV in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — You may need an IV. An IV is a tiny straw that goes into a vein to give your body medicine. If you need an IV, a child life specialist and nurse can help you learn more about it.

Hope demonstrates an IV in the EMU at Children's Mercy.

Hope demonstrates an IV in the EMU at Children's Mercy.

Play time!

Hope plays with toys in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — You can play with toys and games, watch movies, and do crafts in your room.

Hope plays in the playroom in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — You can also go to the playroom when the doctors and nurses say it is okay. You will need to bring all your cords with you. The playroom is full of toys and fun things to do.

Hope is all done demonstrating testing in the EMU at Children's Mercy. — When your test is done, you will get your electrodes taken off. If you have an IV, it will be taken out too. You will change back into your regular clothes before you go home.

Thank you for learning more with Hope about the EMU!

Thanks for learning about EMU with Hope at Children's Mercy!