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Epidemiology of Seizures in Critically Ill Adults

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Continuous EEG Monitoring

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Abstract

Seizures and status epilepticus (SE) are relatively common in critically ill adults, and manifestations may include convulsive status epilepticus (CSE), nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE), and nonconvulsive seizures (NCS). Convulsive seizures that do not meet criteria for status are also seen in this patient population. SE is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and should be diagnosed and treated appropriately. Some challenges in diagnosis and treatment center on the entity of NCSE. This group is now thought to be a heterogeneous patient population including different conditions and associated etiologies. In fact, the underlying etiology of seizures and status is felt to be a very important determinant of overall prognosis and outcome in this group of critically ill adult patients. In this chapter, the epidemiology, clinical features, and etiologies of the various SE types will be presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 South Greene Street, 12th floor, Room S12C09, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Jennifer M. Pritchard MD & Jennifer L. Hopp MD

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  1. Jennifer M. Pritchard MD
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  2. Jennifer L. Hopp MD
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Correspondence to Jennifer M. Pritchard MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, Duke University Medical Center Neurology, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Aatif M. Husain

  2. Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Saurabh R. Sinha

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Pritchard, J.M., Hopp, J.L. (2017). Epidemiology of Seizures in Critically Ill Adults. In: Husain, A., Sinha, S. (eds) Continuous EEG Monitoring. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31230-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31230-9_2

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