Status Epilepticus: An Independent Outcome Predictor After Cerebral Anoxia

We read the report by Rossetti et al. with interest. The authors addressed whether the prognosis of status epilepticus is determined by the underlying cause or if status epilepticus itself is independently associated with an increased mortality rate.1 The authors compared a group of patients with postanoxic encephalopathy combined with what they called “postanoxic status epilepticus” to patients suffering solely from postanoxic encephalopathy. While the idea is sound, the authors’ selection criteria are not convincing. It has been shown that there is no single EEG pattern which is pathognomonic for status epilepticus if taken separately from the clinical features. Most cases of postanoxic encephalopathy are associated with EEG patterns that the authors accepted as indicative of additional “postanoxic status epilepticus.” Also, the presence of spontaneous burst suppression patterns was sufficient for the diagnosis of …