Efficacy of Ketamine Infusion Compared With Traditional Anti-epileptic Agents in Refractory Status Epilepticus
Refractory Epilepsy
About this trial
This is an interventional prevention trial for Refractory Epilepsy focused on measuring seizure, glutamate activation, N-Methyl D-Aspartate, gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor, Ketamine
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients more than 18 years of age with a diagnosis of status epilepticus
- Considered for burst suppression therapy after failing 2 or 3 anti-epileptic medications
Exclusion Criteria:
- Post anoxic status epilepticus
- Pregnant women, as confirmed by urine, or blood human chorionic gonadotropin, ultrasound or physical exam
- Prisoners
- Age less than 18 years
- Allergy or sensitivity to the drug in question
Sites / Locations
- UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Placebo Comparator
Active Comparator
Traditional Treatment (Group T)
Ketamine Infusion (Group K)
Group T patients will be placed into burst suppression with the traditional drug infusions which include any single or combination of drugs; usually benzodiazepines, barbiturates and or propofol.
Patients in the group K arm will receive a loading dose of 2.5 mg/kg of ketamine followed by a continuous infusion with a starting dose of 3mg/kg/hr with titration in 1mg/kg/hr increments until burst suppression is achieved or a maximum dose of 10mg/kg/hr is reached. After 48 hours of burst suppression the ketamine dosage will be reduced by 2mg/kg/hr in a stepwise fashion to evaluated for EEG or clinical evidence of seizure recurrence.