Hypothermia as a treatment in status epilepticus: A narrative review

Status epilepticus (SE) is associated with high mortality and morbidity rates, notably in its refractory and super-refractory forms. This narrative review discusses recent data on the potential benefits of targeted temperature management. In studies of patients with cerebral injury due to various factors, therapeutic hypothermia had variable effects on survival and functional outcomes. Sources of this variability may include the underlying etiology, whether hypothermia was used for prophylaxis or treatment, the degree and duration of hypothermia, and the hypothermia application modalities. Data from animal studies strongly suggest benefits from therapeutic hypothermia in SE. In humans, beneficial effects have been described in anecdotal case reports and small case series, but the level of evidence is low. A randomized controlled trial found no evidence that moderate hypothermia (32-34 °C) was neuroprotective in critically ill patients with convulsive SE. Nevertheless, some promising effects were noted, suggesting that therapeutic hypothermia might have a role as an adjuvant to anticonvulsant drug therapy in patients with refractory or super-refractory SE. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus". This article is part of the Special Issue "Proceedings of the 7th London-Innsbruck Colloquium on Status Epilepticus and Acute Seizures".