Refractory Status Epilepticus

Top Cited Papers
Open Access
Abstract
STATUS EPILEPTICUS (SE) is a life-threatening condition that affects 120 000 to 200 000 people annually in the United States.1 In its most severe form, refractory SE (RSE), continuous or repetitive seizures do not respond to first- and second-line anticonvulsant drug (ACD) therapy.2,3 Little is known about the clinical epidemiologic features of RSE, which may be because of lack of consensus regarding its definition. Proposed criteria for RSE have varied in the number of ACDs failed (2 drugs2,4-7 or 3 drugs3,8-10) and in whether a minimum duration of persistent seizure activity is required (range, none2,7-10 to 1 hour5,11 or 2 hours4,6).