Ketamine Use for Prehospital Status Seizures that are Refractory to Benzodiazepines

Author

Kyle B. SafkoFollow

Date of Award

Fall 8-3-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc)

Department

Department of Physician Assistant Medicine

First Advisor

Justin M. Gambini, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA

Abstract

In North America, epilepsy affects between 16 and 51 people 100,000, with the most affected being those with lower socioeconomic status¹. Most ambulance services carry benzodiazepines, but what happens if administration of these drugs do not terminate seizure activity? The American Epilepsy Society concluded that 50% of patients do not respond to benzodiazepines if they have been stable and compliant on typical antiepileptic drugs and they experience a seizure⁷. A literature review was done looking at alternative treatment options for status seizures, specifically ketamine administration. Multiple case reviews, literature reviews and retrospective studies demonstrate the effectiveness of ketamine administration for terminating status epileptic seizures^{3,4,5,6,7, 10,11} . Ketamine is shown to be an effective agent for seizure termination but it's lacking randomized clinical trials proving its objective effectiveness.

Recommended Citation

Safko, Kyle B., "Ketamine Use for Prehospital Status Seizures that are Refractory to Benzodiazepines" (2022). Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc). 16.
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dmsc/16