What’s new in status epilepticus?

Excerpt

Status epilepticus (SE) is essentially an acute, prolonged epileptic crisis, defined by a continuous seizure that lasts 5 min or more. It is the second-most frequent life-threatening neurological emergency after stroke and bears considerable risks of morbidity and mortality [1, 2]. To prevent potentially dismal complications, recent North American and European guidelines strongly advocate timely (immediate to urgent) treatment. At present, the therapeutic arsenal is subdivided into three lines, consisting of the administration of benzodiazepines (first line of treatment), of antiseizure drugs (second line of treatment), and of general anesthetics (third line of treatment) [3, 4]. Despite this relatively simple approach, several uncertainties are associated with the optimal use of specific agents and the best sequence of their administration [2, 5]. Our recommended strategy for treating SE treatment is given in Fig. 1. In subsequent sections of this article we provide an overview of the most recent clinical findings corroborating this strategy.

…