title: Therapeutic hypothermia for status epilepticus: A report, historical perspective, and review.
abstract: Refractory status epilepticus is a disease associated with high morbidity and mortality, which does not always respond to standard treatments, and when they fail, alternative modalities become crucial. Therapeutic hypothermia slows nerve conduction in vitro, and has been shown to abort seizures in animal models. Therapeutic hypothermia has been experimentally used in humans since 1963 for a variety of intracranial pathologies. More recently there have been multiple reports demonstrating the effectiveness of therapeutic hypothermia in treating refractory status epilepticus. We report a case of super-refractory status epilepticus successfully treated with therapeutic hypothermia, complimented by a historical and literature review of this modality. While there is limited evidence, and some risks associated with therapeutic hypothermia, it should be considered as a reasonable and potentially effective treatment option for refractory status epilepticus.
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Neurology Department, 175 N. Medical Dr. East, 5th Floor, Salt Lake City 84132, USA.
authors.forename: Alicia E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Intermountain Medical Center, Neurology Department, 5171 S. Cottonwood St. Ste 810, Salt Lake City 84107, USA.
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hoesch
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Neurology Department, 175 N. Medical Dr. East, 5th Floor, Salt Lake City 84132, USA.
authors.forename: L Dana
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: DeWitt
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Neurology Department, 175 N. Medical Dr. East, 5th Floor, Salt Lake City 84132, USA.
authors.forename: Pegah
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Afra
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Neurology Department, 175 N. Medical Dr. East, Room 3130, Salt Lake City 84132, USA. Electronic address: safdar.ansari@hsc.utah.edu.
authors.forename: Safdar A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ansari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004351:Drug Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D013226:Status Epilepticus / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Anti-epileptic drugs; EEG; Seizure; Status epilepticus; Therapeutic hypothermia