Management of status epilepticus in adults

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2017

Publication Title

J Clin Outcomes Manag

Abstract

Objective: To review the management of status epilepticus (SE). Methods: Review of the literature. Results: SE is a relatively common condition that accounts for 3% to 5% of all emergency department evaluations for seizure disorders and occurs in 2% to 16% of all epilepsy patients. The 3 most common etiologies are low levels of antiepileptic drugs, remote symptomatic etiologies, and cerebrovascular accidents. The majority of SEs are convulsant, but there is growing awareness of non-convulsive SEs, which can be diagnosed only via electroencephalogram. Management, which must be initiated at the earliest possible time, has evolved to incorporate pre-hospital measures and 4 treatment stages, with supportive measures and benzodiazepine administration remaining the mainstay initially and followed by older and newer antiepileptic drugs and anesthetics for resistant cases. Conclusion: SE is a neurological emergency that still carries significant mortality and morbidity if not treated immediately and properly.

PubMed ID

Not assigned.

Volume

24

Issue

8

First Page

371

Last Page

384

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