Management and long-term outcome in patients presenting with ictal asystole or bradycardia.

Purpose: Ictal asystole (IA) and ictal bradycardia (IB) are rare autonomic symptoms during epileptic seizures and may be potentially life-threatening. Guidelines for the care of these patients are missing. The aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate the management and long-term outcome in patients with IA and IB.

Patients And Methods: All patients with IA and IB were included from four epilepsy centers (Bielefeld, Kork, Marburg, and Zürich) from 2002 until 2009. Using a standardized assessment form, clinical data, treatment decisions, and outcomes were extracted from patient charts and simultaneous electroencephalography/electrocardiography (EEG/ECG) recordings.

Key Findings: Seizures with IA or IB were identified in 16 patients. In all patients an associated temporal seizure pattern was recorded and in 15 patients, sudden falls, fainting, or trauma was previously reported or recorded during the monitoring. In three patients (18.8%) diagnosis of focal epilepsy was newly established and anticonvulsive treatment was initiated. Two patients with refractory epilepsy underwent epilepsy surgery. In seven patients (43.8%) a cardiac pacemaker was implanted. In 14 of 16 treated patients, seizure freedom (n = 5) or absence of sudden falls, fainting, or trauma (n = 9) could be achieved. Two patients denied epilepsy surgery as well as a pacemaker and continue to have frequent falls and trauma.

Significance: Our study demonstrates that epilepsy surgery and antiepileptic drugs may lead to sustained freedom of seizures as well as ictal syncope. In drug-resistant patients not suitable for epilepsy surgery, implantation of a cardiac pacemaker may prevent sudden falls as well as trauma. Based on our results and previously reported cases we propose a treatment algorithm.