Abstracts

Rationale: The epidemiology of status epilepticus (SE) is not well known in Latin America. Furthermore, information about its etiology, management, and prognosis is scarce. Methods: Through a prospective and observational study, we describe the epidemiological and clinical features of a cohort of patients admitted with convulsive SE at Cayetano Heredia University Hospital Emergency Department in Lima, Peru, between March 2018 and January 2019. All patients were assessed by the Neurology team at the first day of hospitalization, at discharge, and at 1-month follow up. Results: A total of 59 patients were included. 62.7% were males and 58% unemployed. Median time from SE onset to hospital arrival was 60 minutes and 110 minutes to first line therapy. 81.36% presented with seizures of short duration, but without recovery in between. From hospital arrival to first line therapy the median time was 7 minutes. The most frequent anti-seizure drugs (ASD) used in ER were benzodiazepines (60%), including diazepam (48.1%) and midazolam (26.8%) were the most common used, phenytoin (77%), and multiple doses of benzodiazepines (42%), for first, second, and third line therapies. The most frequent etiologies were ASD discontinuation (27%), stroke (12%), and undetermined (27%). 31 (52.5%) patients had a history of epilepsy. Only two patients (3.4%) required admission to the ICU. Mortality was 8.47%. EEG was not accessible in the ER. 44 patients had CT scan of the head. 63% had a 0-2 Rankin scale at discharge. Conclusions: The epidemiology, etiology, and treatment of SE in this cohort, differed from what has been previously described in other countries. Funding: No funding