Status epilepticus in Auckland, New Zealand: Treatment patterns and determinants of outcome in a prospective population‐based cohort

Abstract

ObjectiveDetermination of the real‐world performance of a health care system in the treatment of status epilepticus (SE).MethodsProspective, multicenter population‐based study of SE in Auckland, New Zealand (NZ) over 1 year, with data recorded in the EpiNet database. Focus on treatment patterns and determinants of SE duration and 30‐day mortality. The incidence, etiology, ethnic discrepancies, and seizure characteristics of this cohort have been published previously.ResultsA total of 365 patients were included in this treatment cohort; 326 patients (89.3%) were brought to hospital because of SE, whereas 39 patients (10.7%) developed SE during a hospital admission for another reason. Overall, 190 (52.1%) had a known history of epilepsy and 254 (70.0%) presented with SE with prominent motor activity. The mean Status Epilepticus Severity Score (STESS) was 2.15 and the mean SE duration of all patients was 44 min. SE self‐terminated without any treatment in 84 patients (22.7%). Earlier administration of appropriately dosed benzodiazepine in the pre‐hospital setting was a major determinant of SE duration. Univariate analysis demonstrated that mortality was significantly higher in older patients, patients with longer durations of SE, higher STESS, and patients who developed SE in hospital, but these did not maintain significance with multivariate analysis. There was no difference in the performance of the health care system in the treatment of SE across ethnic groups.SignificanceWhen SE was defined as 10 continuous minutes of seizure, overall mortality was lower than expected and many patients had self‐limited presentations for which no treatment was required. Although there were disparities in the incidence of SE across ethnic groups there was no difference in treatment or outcome. The finding highlights the benefit of a health care system designed to deliver universal health care.