Abstract
Background
Events of ictal bradycardia or asystole may be of importance in epilepsy patients showing with ictal falls and are a funder to SUDEP. With using implantable loop recorders, we can detect ictal bradycardia or asystole. And implantation of cardiac pacemakers may prevent life-threatening syncope, cardiac arrest, and disturbances.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to look at how many ictal bradycardia or asystole and match with localization, types of seizure and antiepileptic drugs in a patient with hard to treat epilepsy.
Methods
Patients with hard to treat epilepsy were implanted loop recorders. Patients or their relations were activated loop recorder (with a special patient assistant) during or after seizure depending on the type of seizure.
Results
204 patients included in the study. The mean duration of loop recording 24 months. 1168 ECG seizure were reordered of 204 patients, 494 (42%) secondary generalized seizures and 674 (58%) partial seizures. Nine patients (4%) were recorded ictal bradycardia and ictal asystole. Only four patients with ictal asystole and bradycardia take AED (antiepileptic drug) inhibit sodium channels. During seizure were recorded only 14 (1, 1%) seizure with ictal asystole and bradycardia of nine patients, 6 (42%) – with ictal asystole (5 – SA-block, 1 – AV-block), 8 (57%) – ictal bradycardia. Ten (71%) events of 14 was secondary generalized seizures, 4 (28%) - partial seizures. Five ictal asystoles recorded during secondarily generalized seizures, and only 1 partial seizure. Five ictal bradycardias reordered during secondarily generalized seizures, 3 - partial seizure. Frontal-temporal localization only 4 patients, 1 – occipital-frontal, 1 – frontal, 3 – without consistent epilepsy localization. Three patients with bilateral lateralization, 2 – left lateralization, 1 – right lateralization, 3 – without consistent epilepsy lateralization.
Conclusions
Ictal asystole can be problematic to diagnose because of both its under-recognition and its appearance only during seizures. In this study, we showed the most life-threatening events occurred in patients with the secondarily generalized seizures. Bradyarrhythmias can one of possible sudden unexplained death in epilepsy patients (SUDEP). No clear association was seen between ictal bradycardia/asystole and lateralization or localization of seizure onset.
