Status epilepticus: Is there a Stage 1 plus?

Abstract

In status epilepticus (SE), “time is brain.” Currently, first‐line therapy consists of benzodiazepines (BDZs) and SE is classified by the response to treatment; stage 2 or established SE is defined as “BDZ‐resistant SE.” Nonetheless, this classification does not always work, especially in the case of prolonged convulsive SE, where many molecular changes occur and γ‐aminobutyric acid signaling becomes excitatory. Under these circumstances, BDZ therapy might not be optimal, and might be possibly detrimental, if given alone; as the duration of SE increases, so too does BDZ resistance. Murine models of SE showed how these cases might benefit more from synergistic combined therapy from the start. The definition of Stage 1 plus is suggested, as a stage requiring combined therapy from the start, which includes prolonged SE with seizure activity going on for >10 min, the time that marks the disruption of receptor homeostasis, with increased internalization. This specific stage might require a synergistic approach from the start, with a combination of first‐ and second‐line treatment.