Clinical Trial: Levetiracetam Versus Sodium Valproate in Children With Refractory Generalized Convulsive Status Epilepticus

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Levetiracetam Versus Sodium Valproate in Children With Refractory Generalized Convulsive Status Epilepticus : An Open Randomized Study

Brief Summary: This study is a randomized, open label, parallel group,comparing the safety and efficacy of valproate and levetiracetam in patients of age group 1 to 16 years with status epilepticus not responded to phenytoin and benzodiazepines approaching to pediatric emergency , IMS, BHU. The primary outcome measures will be Proportion of children in either group who have Cessation of all clinical seizure within 30 min of drug administration and secondary outcome will be time taken to control seizure (minutes) from the initiation of infusion. Proportion of children in either group who required additional drugs to abort ongoing clinical seizures, rates of adverse events (hypotension, bradycardia, respiratory depression, PICU stay, in hospital mortality) in the two groups were measured. Refractory status epilepticus condition is major pediatric neurological emergency with high mortality and morbidity. Till now, the treatment guidelines for it are based primarily on retrospective studies with very few randomized studies. There is lack of sufficient data to recommend one drug over another for treatment of refractory status epilepticus.

Detailed Summary:

In our study patients were considered to have RSE if children were still having active convulsions despite receiving injection lorazepam intravenously at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg (max 4 mg) at a rate maximum upto 2 mg/min or intravenous diazepam at a dose of 0.2 - 0.3 mg/Kg (maximum 10 mg) slowly or intravenous midazolam at a dose of 0.15 - 0.2 mg/kg(max 5 mg). In case of children with difficult intravenous access buccal/nasal midazolam 0.2 - 0.3 mg/kg (maximum 5 mg) per rectal diazepam 0.5 mg/kg (maximum 10 mg) or intramuscular midazolam 0.2 mg/kg (maximum 5 mg). If seizure continued at 5 minutes, a repeat dose of benzodiazepine was given with same dose. At 10 minutes, if the seizure activity still remains intravenous phenytoin was given at a dose of 20mg/kg(maximum- 1000mg) at a rate of 1mg/kg/minute or intravenous fosphenytoin at 20mg PE/kg (if available) at a rate of 3mg PE/kg/minute.

Patients having seizure activity despite administration of above medications were considered to have RSE. Out of thousands of patients seen in outdoor and emergency ward, 80 patients were diagnosed to have RSE and met the inclusion criteria. After counselling the parents/guardians about the medications and obtaining a written informed consent they were randomized to into two groups : sodium valproate(V) and levetiracetam group(L), using a computer generated randomization chart. Forty patients in group V received intravenous valproic acid in dose of 20 mg/kg as loading dose at a rate of 40 mg/min after dilution with normal saline followed by maintenance dose of 10mg/kg/dose 8 hourly. In group L patients received intravenous levetiracetam as loading dose of 30 mg/kg at a rate of 50 mg/min followed by 20mg/kg/dose 12 hourly.


Sponsor: Banaras Hindu University

Current Primary Outcome: cessation of convulsions (clinically evident motor activity) [ Time Frame: 30 minutes ]

clinical cessation of convulsions, vitals monitoring


Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

  • seizure activity at 24 hours of infusion [ Time Frame: 24 hours ]
    whether clinical convulsive activity cessation or not
  • seizure recurrence [ Time Frame: 24 hours ]
    average number of seizure recurring after drug infusion within 24 hours
  • additional number of drugs [ Time Frame: 24 hours ]
    number of additional drugs to control RSE within 24 hours of infusion
  • time taken to control seizure activity [ Time Frame: 24 hours ]
    time needed to control convulsive activity from infusion time
  • change in vital parameters after infusing interventional agent [ Time Frame: 24 hours ]
    vital parameters will be recorded every 15 minutes for the first 1 hour after the intervention began and mean value of vital parameters will be compared in two groups
  • neurological outcome and seizure control [ Time Frame: 1 month ]
    to look for any neurological deficit or behavioural abnormality and seizure control at one month of follow-up


Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: Banaras Hindu University

Dates:
Date Received: September 24, 2016
Date Started: January 2015
Date Completion:
Last Updated: September 28, 2016
Last Verified: September 2016