Super‐refractory status epilepticus in W est C hina

Objective This study aims to determine the general frequency, mortality, and risk factors of super‐refractory status epilepticus ( SRSE ) versus non‐refractory status epilepticus ( NRSE ) and refractory status epilepticus ( RSE ). Methods This work is a retrospective study. Clinical data of patients who were diagnosed with status epilepticus ( SE ) in the neurological ward and neuro‐intensive care unit of West China Hospital from January 2009 to December 2012 were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 98 patients were included in the study. The percentages of NRSE , RSE , and SRSE were 67.3%, 20.4%, and 12.2%, respectively. Convulsive SE was the main seizure type among the three groups. The most common cause of NRSE was related to epilepsy ( EP ). However, 67.7% of SRSE cases were caused by acute encephalitis. Moreover, 47% of SE and 40% of RSE cases had a history of EP , whereas only 8.3% of SRSE cases had such history ( P  < 0.01). The percentage of patients with STESS ≤2 was lowest in the SRSE group without statistical significance ( P  > 0.05). The general mortality of SE was 7.1%, whereas that of SRSE was 50%. During follow‐up, most SRSE patients who survived have developed symptomatic EP . Conclusions This study was the first to use the statistical percentage of SRSE . Approximately 12.2% of SE cases will result in SRSE , which is a challenging medical situation for doctors. Patients with first episodes and acute encephalitis were also prone to develop SRSE .