A Growing Consensus: EEG is Necessary to Diagnose and Manage Seizures
Multiple societies recognize non-convulsive seizure as a significant risk, commonly occurring with the underlying primary condition and requiring EEG for prompt diagnosis and management
“EEG should be initiated within one hour of suspected SE in all patients.”
NCS Guidelines for Evaluation and Management of Status Epilepticus¹
“Recommend promptly performing and interpreting EEG for the diagnosis of seizures in patients who do not follow commands after ROSC.”
AHA Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care²𝄒³
“Growing evidence suggests that [comprehensive post–cardiac arrest care] is critical for both patient survival and optimal neurological outcome.”
R3 Report on Resuscitation Standards for Hospitals⁴
“EEG [is recommended] for a change in mental status or depressed mental status out of proportion to the stroke.”
AHA Comprehensive Nursing Care Scientific Statement for Care of the Patient with Acute Ischemic Stroke⁵
“New-onset seizures in the context of spontaneous ICH are relatively common […] and most of these seizures occur within the first 24 hours of the hemorrhage.”
AHA/ASA Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage⁶
“Monitoring with continuous EEG can detect nonconvulsive seizures, especially in patients with depressed consciousness or fluctuating neurological examination.”
AHA/ASA Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage⁷
“CCEEG has an important role in detection of secondary injuries such as seizures and ischemia in critically ill adults and children with altered mental status.”
ACNS Consensus Statement on Continuous EEG in Critically Ill Adults and Children⁸
“We recommend EEG in all patients with ABI [Acute Brain Injury] and unexplained and persistent altered consciousness […and] in patients with cSE that do not return to functional baseline within 60 minutes after seizure medication.”
Consensus Summary Statement of the International Multidisciplinary Consensus Conference on Multimodality Monitoring in Neurocritical Care⁹
Guidelines
2012 NCS Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Status Epilepticus¹
“EEG should be initiated within one hour of suspected SE in all patients.”
2020 AHA CPR and ECC Guidelines² and 2023 AHA CPR and ECC Guidelines Update³
“Much of post-arrest care focuses on mitigating injury to the brain. Possible contributors to this goal include […] detection and treatment of seizures.”
*Guideline Table Excerpt