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Objectives: Delayed management of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) can lead to an increased morbidity and mortality. We previously established that inefficient treatment of NCSE at our institution stemmed from delayed initiation of emergent anti-seizure medications (ASM). In the present study, we assessed the trajectories of these time parameters and determined patient outcomes following the specific quality improvement (QI) interventions., Methods: The QI interventions, including the revision of the educational content for trainees and pharmacy workflow optimization were implemented between January 2019 and September 2021 by a dedicated multidisciplinary task force. The times needed to initiate and administer the ASMs for patients with NCSE as well as patient mortality were assessed in comatose and noncomatose patients and compared with the corresponding values prior to the interventions., Results: There were 79 occurrences of NCSE in 74 patients. The median time from seizure detection on EEG to the order of the first and second ASM for NCSE was reduced by 4 (p = 0.83) and 8 min (p = 0.52), respectively compared to the times prior to the initiation of interventions. The median times from the order to administration of the first and third ASM for all NCSE occurrences were reduced by 8 and 10 min, respectively (p = 0.28 and p = 0.10). In the present cohort of comatose patients, the median time spent to order the first ASM was reduced by 16.5 min and the time to administer it reduced by 35 min compared to that in our previous study. The overall patient mortality was decreased by 11.1%., Significance: More efficient delivery of rescue ASMs in patients with NCSE and improvement in their mortality can be achieved with multidisciplinary team efforts aimed at streamlining the functioning of pharmacy and strengthening the education of trainees and nurses., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Anti-seizure medications (ASMs) are discontinued in the course of intracranial EEG (iEEG) monitoring for presurgical evaluation. The ASM withdrawal facilitates an emergence of seizures but may also precipitate seizure clusters (SC) and status epilepticus (SE). The aim of this study was to compare the rates of SC and SE during the ultra-rapid withdrawal (URW) and rapid withdrawal (RW) of ASMs during iEEG., Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study of all consecutive patients with drug resistant epilepsy who completed iEEG at our comprehensive epilepsy center from 2012-2018. SC was defined as three or more seizures in 24 h with a return to baseline between the events. SE was defined as ≥ 5 min of clinical seizure or ≥ 10 min of ictal electrographic activity or series of seizures with no return to the neurological baseline between the events., Results: Of 107 patients who completed iEEG with intracranial grid or strip electrodes, 46 (43%) were male. Median age at the time of iEEG was 35.4 years (interquartile range [IQR], 26.4 - 44.9). Ninety patients (84.1%) had all AEDs held on admission, while 16 patients (15%) underwent a rapid taper. The median time to first seizure was 15.1 (8.2 - 22.6) h. Sixty-two patients (57.9%) developed SC, while 10 (9.4%) developed SE. Twenty-six patients (36.1%) with these complications required intravenous lorazepam or other rescue ASMs, while the remaining patients had spontaneous resolution of seizures; intubations were not required. While there were differences in the proportions in patients who experienced SC, SE, or neither in the URW and RW groups, these differences were not significant at the 0.05 alpha level., Significance: Ultra-rapid and rapid ASM withdrawal are accompanied by SC and SE the majority of which terminate spontaneously. These data support the use of either approach of the medication taper for seizure provocation in iEEG., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), including dabigatran etexilate, rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban or betrixaban provides a safe and convenient alternative to the traditional anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists or heparin derivatives. Many patients receiving long-term seizure prophylaxis with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may require anticoagulation with NOACs. Providers caring for these patients need to be informed about potential interactions between AEDs and NOACs and the relevant clinical consequences. A systematic review of the existing literature was conducted to elucidate current knowledge on the clinically relevant interactions between AEDs and NOACs and highlight areas in which further research is needed. The systematic review protocol was developed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance. Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, The Cochrane Library and SciFinder were searched. Of the 630 non-duplicate items identified by the search, 13 met eligibility criteria. These 13 items included 8 case reports, 2 letters to the editor and 3 nonrandomized studies. The majority of pharmacokinetic interactions between NOACs and first generation AEDs occurred via the induction of the hepatic enzyme system and competition for the P-glycoprotein transporter and lead to decreased NOAC plasma levels and consequent thrombotic events. Only one article, a case report, was identified that focused on interactions between the second generation AED and a NOAC. At the present time, the limited evidence suggests that enzyme-inducing or inhibiting AEDs reduce the effectiveness of anticoagulation produced by several NOACs. This information may help providers anticipate possible interactions and guide therapy appropriately., Competing Interests: Declarations of Competing Interest Mohamed Taha, Wenyang Li, Cynthia M. Schmidt and Marco Gonzalez-Castellon have no financial interests or conflicts of interest to declare. Olga Taraschenko has received research support from the American Epilepsy Society and speaker honoraria from the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)