Long-term continuation of anti-seizure medications after acute stroke

To investigate the factors associated with the long-term continuation of anti-seizure medications (ASMs) in acute stroke patients.

We performed a retrospective cohort study of stroke patients with concern for acute symptomatic seizures (ASySs) during hospitalization who subsequently visited the poststroke clinic. All patients had continuous EEG (cEEG) monitoring. We generated a multivariable logistic regression model to analyze the factors associated with the primary outcome of continued ASM use after the first poststroke clinic visit.

A total of 507 patients (43.4% ischemic stroke, 35.7% intracerebral hemorrhage, and 20.9% aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage) were included. Among them, 99 (19.5%) suffered from ASySs, 110 (21.7%) had epileptiform abnormalities (EAs) on cEEG, and 339 (66.9%) had neither. Of the 294 (58%) patients started on ASMs, 171 (33.7%) were discharged on them, and 156 (30.3% of the study population; 53.1% of patients started on ASMs) continued ASMs beyond the first poststroke clinic visit [49.7 (±31.7) days after cEEG]. After adjusting for demographical, stroke- and hospitalization-related variables, the only independent factors associated with the primary outcome were admission to the NICU [Odds ratio (OR) 0.37 (95% CI 0.15-0.9)], the presence of ASySs [OR 20.31(95% CI 9.45-48.43)], and EAs on cEEG [OR 2.26 (95% CI 1.14-4.58)].

Almost a third of patients with poststroke ASySs concerns may continue ASMs for the long term, including more than half started on them acutely. Admission to the NICU may lower the odds, and ASySs (convulsive or electrographic) and EAs on cEEG significantly increase the odds of long-term ASM use.