4 Tips for Avoiding EEG Recording Failures

A failed EEG recording is a worst-case scenario for any EEG technologist not only during a clinical trial – but at any time. Losing data can be frustrating for all parties involved. So what’s the secret to keeping your recordings intact and usable? We have 4 tips to help you avoid EEG recording failures during a clinical trial.

1. Communication is Key

The most important aspect of avoiding failure is communication with your team. This applies to the Sample EEG prior to the recording and the actual Clinical Trial recording.

At least one person on-site needs to be reachable, so make sure to get their contact information. Often when setting up, challenges can arise. If there are any issues prior to recording, that contact can be notified and assist however possible. It may seem like common sense, but acting as a team helps the whole process run smoothly. While on the topic of teamwork…

2. Get the Right Team

The site should have all the staff who will be performing the recording present for the sample EEG. If someone cannot attend, have a staff member who did attend the sample recording provide training to the other members. Everyone should be on the same page.

A volunteer with a clean head should be available for the whole duration of the sample recording. The volunteer needs to relax with their eyes closed and sit/lay quietly during the recording. The volunteer should not be someone who will be performing the recordings. Don’t take shortcuts! Impedances need to be within the 5-10K Ohms. It is essential to limit the number of artifacts and provide a successful sample recording.

A trained and registered EEG technologist should know where to apply the electrode leads but if additional assistance is needed, your team is there to help. It’s their goal to ensure quality data is available after the trial.

3. Minimize Room for Error

The site should have enough time devoted to capturing the recording. Put aside two to four hours depending on the needs of the trial. This could be the first time the site will perform the recording using the equipment specific to the clinical trial.

A reliable internet connection with good upload and download speeds can make a significant difference. Use a few minutes to test the internet connection and verify that the study can be uploaded in a timely manner. Doing this before the study provides time to troubleshoot and not hold up the process once it begins.

If your clinical trial location is in a rural area, you want to make sure your team can communicate in a timely manner without issue. Lastly, follow the recording guidelines and make sure the data can be accessed.

4. Trust the Clinical Trial Experts

During a live recording, leave the rest to your experienced Clinical Trials team. Expect your team to notify the site if there are:

• leads disconnected
• a high level of artifacts
• high impedances
• lost connections with wired or wireless data
• recording guidelines not being followed

Quality checks should be performed throughout the duration of the recording. Your team should escalate questions if needed, provide regular updates via email, and verify safe recording uploads. The objective is to catch problems before or as soon as they arise. By doing so, a failed recording won’t be an issue.

Allow Lifelines Neuro to help you with the logistics and support to complete your project goals. It’s a combination of these best-practice methods that enable us to provide peak-performance clinical trial services for customers around the world. We’re happy to share our advice with the neurodiagnostic community.

As experts in providing EEG Clinical Trial services, we take pride in our high success rates. We want to help you reduce turnaround times and stay within budget. Contact us if you’re ready to learn more.