Stat Eegs: Utilization and Results in Inpatient and Outpatient Settings
Abstract number :
3.205
Submission category :
4. Clinical Epilepsy / 4B. Clinical Diagnosis
Year :
2022
Submission ID :
2204633
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/5/2022 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2022, 05:26 AM
Authors :
Shoeb Khan, MD – Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center; ahmed arshad, MD – Associate Program Director, Neurology, Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center; Osama Zaidat, MD – Program Director, Neurology, Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center; Kristine Below, BS – Research Coordinator, Neurology, Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center
Rationale: To determine the role of electroencephalograms (EEGs) ordered as stat in the inpatient and outpatient settings, and more specifically, their practicality in detecting true seizures/sub clinical seizures.
Methods: We retrospectively assessed the reports of stat EEG orders that occurred between January 2021 and December 2021 at our hospital. These included both inpatient and outpatient orders. Once ordered as stat, the EEG must be performed within 4 hours by the EEG technician, and then read immediately by the on-call reading neurologist. Outcomes were classified as normal, mild diffuse slowing, severe slowing, epileptic focus, and status epilepticus.
Results: In our 500-bed hospital, a total of 968 EEGs were ordered in 2021, and a total of 218 (22.5%) were considered stat. Of these 218 EEGs reviewed, approximately two-thirds of the patients or 2 out of 3 stat EEGS (141, 64.7%) were read as normal vs. one-third (77, 35.3%) with any abnormality. Of those with abnormal EEGs: 36 (16.5%) were read to have mild diffuse slowing, 13 (5.9%) were diffuse slowing, and 27 (12.4%) were found to have epileptic focus. Just 1 (0.5%) stat EEG detected the patient having a subclinical active seizure.
Conclusions: Stat EEG is ordered in almost 1 out of 4 EEGs ordered in our hospital. Only a third of the stat EEGs demonstrated any abnormality, and 0.5% demonstrated subclinical seizure. This study suggests that stat EEGs rarely detect active electrographic seizure. Multicenter large sample studies are needed to further clarify the value of stat EEG in clinical practice.
Funding: None
Clinical Epilepsy