Immediate Treatment of Seizure Clusters: A Conceptual Roadmap to Expedited Seizure Management.

Some patients with epilepsy continue to have seizures despite daily treatment with antiseizure medications. This includes seizure clusters (also known as acute repetitive seizures), which are an increase in seizure frequency that is different from the usual seizure pattern for that patient. In the literature, the term "rescue" is used for pharmacologic treatment for seizure clusters, but clarity regarding timing or whether a caregiver or patient should wait until a moment of life-threatening urgency before administering the medication is lacking.

The effect of responsive neurostimulation (RNS) on neuropsychiatric and psychosocial outcomes in drug-resistant epilepsy.

Objective: The impact of responsive neurostimulation (RNS) on neuropsychiatric and psychosocial outcomes has not been extensively evaluated outside of the original clinical trials and post-approval studies. The goal of this study was to ascertain the potential real-world effects of RNS on cognitive, psychiatric, and quality of life (QOL) outcomes in relation to seizure outcomes by examining 50 patients undergoing RNS implantation for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE).

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all patients treated at our institution with RNS for DRE with at least 12 months of follow-up.