Emergent Treatment of Status Epilepticus

Status epilepticus is a neurologic emergency and can progress to refractory status epilepticus and super-refractory status epilepticus. Electroencephalography is the gold standard for diagnosis. There are many possible causes of status epilepticus, including both acute and chronic etiologies. Early clinical suspicion and prehospital care is important in order to properly treat these patients. In the hospital, managing a patient with status epilepticus requires a team effort. Though many tried and true therapies exist to treat this condition, there are many alternative treatments about which only limited data exist. Mortality remains high, and several scores have been developed to attempt to predict outcome in these patients. Additional research is needed to refine management for patients with status epilepticus.