Treatment for Status Epilepticus using Intravenous Phenobarbital

摘要

Intravenous phenobarbital (PB) for status epilepticus was released in December 2008. We herein report a case in which status epilepticus was treated effectively by using intravenous PB. A 2-year-old male was hospitalised after suffering from status epilepticus that lasted for 1 hour. The seizure could not be controlled after the administration of a 6 mg diazepam suppository and two intravenous injections of 0.3 mg/kg of midazolam. The seizure stopped immediately after 20 mg/kg of PB for intravenous injection was used. The blood concentration of PB was examined later, and maintenance therapy with a PB suppository was performed. Few days after, the medication was switched to maintenance therapy with oral administration of PB and his status epilepticus was kept under control thereafter. The treatment method for status epilepticus, which consisted of an intravenous injection of PB for the initial treatment and the combination of a suppository and oral administration of PB for maintenance therapy, was simple and very useful. In the discussion, we present the protocol at our institution for cases of status epilepticus in which intravenous PB is used.