| Title | Anticonvulsant medications in the pediatric emergency room and intensive care unit. | | Author(s) | Abend NS, Huh JW, Helfaer MA, Dlugos DJ | | Institution | Division of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. abend@email.chop.edu | | Source | Pediatr Emerg Care 2008 Oct; 24(10):705-18; quiz 719-21. | | MeSH | Adult
Anticonvulsants
Brain Hemorrhage, Traumatic
Brain Injuries
Child
Clinical Trials as Topic
Disease Management
Early Diagnosis
Electroencephalography
Emergencies
Emergency Service, Hospital
Heart Defects, Congenital
Humans
Intensive Care Units, Pediatric
Kidney Diseases
Liver Diseases
Neoplasms
Postoperative Complications
Seizures
Status Epilepticus
Transplantation
| | Abstract | Seizures are common in pediatric emergency care units, either as the main medical issue or in association with an additional neurological problem. Rapid treatment prolonged and repetitive seizures or status epilepticus is important. Multiple anti-convulsant medications are useful in this setting, and each has various indications and potential adverse effects that must be considered in regard to individual patients. This review discusses new data regarding anticonvulsants that are useful in these settings, including fosphenytoin, valproic acid, levetiracetam, and topiramate. A status epilepticus treatment algorithm is suggested, incorporating changes from traditional algorithms based on these new data. Treatment issues specific to complex medical patients, including patients with brain tumors, renal dysfunction, hepatic dysfunction, transplant, congenital heart disease, and anticoagulation, are also discussed. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review
| | PubMed ID | 19240677 |
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