Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Postanoxic status epilepticus can be identified and treatment guided successfully by continuous electroencephalography.

Westhall, Erik LU ; Rundgren, Malin LU ; Lilja, Gisela LU ; Friberg, Hans LU and Cronberg, Tobias LU (2013) In Therapeutic hypothermia and temperature management 3(2). p.84-87
Abstract
Prognostication after cardiac arrest and therapeutic hypothermia is challenging. Recent data indicate that a subgroup of patients with postanoxic status epilepticus may recover. We describe a case of postanoxic status epilepticus with good outcome where a multimodal prognostic strategy motivated active and prolonged treatment. Our patient was a 61-year-old woman resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, treated with hypothermia, and monitored with continuous electroencephalography (EEG). Shortly after rewarming, 44 hours after cardiac arrest, electrographic status epilepticus developed and was manifested clinically by myoclonic seizures several hours later. Treatment was guided by continuous simplified EEG monitoring. Conventional... (More)
Prognostication after cardiac arrest and therapeutic hypothermia is challenging. Recent data indicate that a subgroup of patients with postanoxic status epilepticus may recover. We describe a case of postanoxic status epilepticus with good outcome where a multimodal prognostic strategy motivated active and prolonged treatment. Our patient was a 61-year-old woman resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, treated with hypothermia, and monitored with continuous electroencephalography (EEG). Shortly after rewarming, 44 hours after cardiac arrest, electrographic status epilepticus developed and was manifested clinically by myoclonic seizures several hours later. Treatment was guided by continuous simplified EEG monitoring. Conventional antiepileptics were ineffective, and prolonged sedation was necessary to prevent recurrence. Magnetic resonance imaging, somatosensory evoked potentials, and repeated measurements of neuron-specific enolase were unremarkable and did not indicate a poor prognosis. Rather, the EEG characteristics suggested a potential for recovery, and therefore the patient was actively treated until recovery 3 weeks later. At follow-up after 4.5 months, she had only minor neurological sequels. We conclude that a favorable neurological outcome is possible despite prolonged postanoxic status epilepticus. A multimodal strategy for prognostication may help identify treatable cases. Continuous EEG monitoring is an important tool to detect and guide treatment of postanoxic status epilepticus. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Therapeutic hypothermia and temperature management
volume
3
issue
2
pages
84 - 87
publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
external identifiers
  • pmid:24837799
  • pmid:24837799
  • wos:000209355200008
ISSN
2153-7933
DOI
10.1089/ther.2013.0002
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
791d5b2a-e914-44b4-8162-fe7b517d1ef4 (old id 4454216)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24837799?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:09:28
date last changed
2018-11-21 19:55:52
@article{791d5b2a-e914-44b4-8162-fe7b517d1ef4,
  abstract     = {{Prognostication after cardiac arrest and therapeutic hypothermia is challenging. Recent data indicate that a subgroup of patients with postanoxic status epilepticus may recover. We describe a case of postanoxic status epilepticus with good outcome where a multimodal prognostic strategy motivated active and prolonged treatment. Our patient was a 61-year-old woman resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, treated with hypothermia, and monitored with continuous electroencephalography (EEG). Shortly after rewarming, 44 hours after cardiac arrest, electrographic status epilepticus developed and was manifested clinically by myoclonic seizures several hours later. Treatment was guided by continuous simplified EEG monitoring. Conventional antiepileptics were ineffective, and prolonged sedation was necessary to prevent recurrence. Magnetic resonance imaging, somatosensory evoked potentials, and repeated measurements of neuron-specific enolase were unremarkable and did not indicate a poor prognosis. Rather, the EEG characteristics suggested a potential for recovery, and therefore the patient was actively treated until recovery 3 weeks later. At follow-up after 4.5 months, she had only minor neurological sequels. We conclude that a favorable neurological outcome is possible despite prolonged postanoxic status epilepticus. A multimodal strategy for prognostication may help identify treatable cases. Continuous EEG monitoring is an important tool to detect and guide treatment of postanoxic status epilepticus.}},
  author       = {{Westhall, Erik and Rundgren, Malin and Lilja, Gisela and Friberg, Hans and Cronberg, Tobias}},
  issn         = {{2153-7933}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{84--87}},
  publisher    = {{Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.}},
  series       = {{Therapeutic hypothermia and temperature management}},
  title        = {{Postanoxic status epilepticus can be identified and treatment guided successfully by continuous electroencephalography.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ther.2013.0002}},
  doi          = {{10.1089/ther.2013.0002}},
  volume       = {{3}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}