Prolonged atrial fibrillation following generalized tonic-clonic seizures

We describe two male patients with focal epilepsy in whom transitory episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) lasting for up to 25h were detected in the context of generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCSs). In five of seven previously published cases of transitory AF associated with epileptic seizures, AF was also associated with GTCS, suggesting a pathophysiological link via GTCS-related increase in sympathetic tone and release of catecholamines. Importantly, AF increases the risk of thromboembolic cerebral ischemia, prompting the question of whether antithrombotic preventive treatment should be initiated in people with pharmacoresistant epilepsy and prolonged peri-ictal AF. Furthermore, AF can considerably impair cardiac output and may, via this mechanism, contribute to the risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy following GTCS.