Intravenous sodium valproate in mainland China for the treatment of diazepam refractory convulsive status epilepticus.

The purpose of this study was to identify the short-term safety and efficacy of treating patients with intravenous (i.v.) sodium valproate (VPA) for diazepam (DZP) refractory convulsive status epilepticus (CSE). We prospectively registered 48 patients with refractory CSE who were treated at West China Hospital with i.v. VPA (30mg/kg, 6mg/kg per hour) after a loading dose of i.v. DZP and intramuscular phenobarbitone (PBT) failed. VPA stopped seizures in 87.5% of patients within 1h, and patients regained baseline mental status within 1h of seizure cessation. CSE did not recur in patients within the next 12h, and no significant VPA-related systemic or local side effects were found during their hospital stay. In conclusion, this study suggests that i.v. VPA is a promising option for DZP refractory CSE in mainland China, since i.v. PBT is unavailable in most hospitals, and anesthesia is unacceptable to most of the Chinese population.