In-hospital mortality of generalized convulsive status epilepticus: a large US sample

To evaluate the in-hospital mortality associated with generalized convulsive status epilepticus (GCSE), and predictors of death in a large US cohort.

We identified our cohort from the National Inpatient Sample for the years 2000 through 2004 by searching the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, code for GCSE. We excluded patients with partial status epilepticus, and assessed whether associated diagnoses including brain tumors, CNS infections, stroke, hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, metabolic derangements, and respiratory failure predicted mortality. We used logistic regression models to identify predictors of death.

Eleven thousand five hundred eighty patients were included in this analysis. The mean age of the patients was 39 +/- 25.6 years, and the median duration of stay was 3 days. Male sex (53.4%) and white race (42.4%) were predominant. Overall in-hospital mortality was 399 in 11,580 (3.45%). Age was a significant predictor of death. Mortality tripled in those who received mechanical ventilation compared with those who did not (7.43% vs 2.22%, odds ratio [OR] 2.79, 95% CI 2.18 to 3.59). Other predictors of mortality included hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (OR 9.85, 95% CI 6.63 to 14.6), cerebrovascular diseases (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.13 to 3.82), female sex (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.73), and higher comorbidity index (OR 6.79, 95% CI 4.27 to 10.8).

Overall in-hospital mortality from generalized convulsive status epilepticus is low, but remarkably increases in those treated with mechanical ventilation. Other predictors of mortality include older age, female sex, hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, and higher comorbidity index.