A Standardized, 3-Tiered, Seizure Burden–Based Protocol for the Treatment of Neonatal Seizures

Abstract

Objective To evaluate use of a standardized, 3-tiered, seizure burden-based protocol for treatment of all electroencephalography (EEG)-confirmed seizures in a level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Study Design All infants admitted to the NICU with EEG-confirmed seizures over a 25-month period were enrolled in the study. We compared short-term outcomes before and after implementation of a standardized, 3-tiered protocol. Results A total of 107 infants were enrolled in the study. Use of midazolam infusions was reduced by 53.7% ( p  = 0.02). Midazolam infusion duration increased from 4 to 7.5 days ( p = 0.003); however, when excluding 3 outliers, there was no significant difference between groups (­ p  = 0.67). Duration of EEG monitoring decreased from 5 to 3 days ( p  = 0.005). Hospital length of stay was unchanged. Conclusion Implementation of a standardized, 3-tiered protocol for treatment of neonatal seizures improved short-term outcomes. Although not measured directly, reductions in EEG duration and midazolam use are promising indicators of overall seizure burden. More research is needed to evaluate impact on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.