Do you have a child who experiences Established Status Epilipticus? Then you need to know about the Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial, ongoing now at Nemours DuPont Children’s Hospital in Wilmington DE, as well as other children’s hospitals across the country.
Seizure Study Enrollment Opportunities
Nemours duPont Hospital for Children’s Emergency Department is participating in a nationwide emergency seizure study titled Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial – ESETT.
The goal of the study is to find the most effective anti-seizure medication to stop prolonged seizures. Any patient over 2 years of age may be eligibile for the study. Once enrolled on the study, a patient would receive one of three commonly used medications to stop the seizure.
What is Established Status Epilepticus?
Status Epilepticus (SE) is defined as a seizure or recurrent seizures that last more than five minutes without stopping or the person waking up. A person whose seizure does not stop after receiving a full dose of anti-seizure medicine is considered to have Established Status Epilepticus (ESE).
There are approximately 120,000 – 180,000 episodes of SE each year in the United States. About one third of SE patients continue to have a seizure that will not stop and are considered an ESE seizure.
Why Have an ESE Treatment Trial?
Emergency Department care of Established Status Epilepticus (ESE) is not always the same across all hospitals. Doctors use their best judgment, but it is not known which treatment will work best. The best possible outcomes for patients with ESE are likely to depend upon a treatment that rapidly stops their seizure.
The purpose of the ESETT study is to find out which of three commonly used medicines given to a patient in the Emergency Department for ESE – phenoytoin, valproic acid, or levetiracetam – is safer and more effective for stopping the seizure.
What are Possible Benefits of an ESE Trial?
It is not known which treatment is best for treating Established Status Epilepticus. A person enrolled in the study may receive a better medicine to treat their seizures.
People who experience an ESE type seizure in the future may also benefit from the knowledge gained by this ESE Treatment Trial study.
Learn More About the Nemours ESETS Trial
Please visit www.nemours.org/ESETT or email ESETT@nemours.org to learn more about this opportunity to improve how ESE is treated in the Emergency room.
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The Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial (ESETT) study is part of the Neurological Emergencies Treatment Trials (NETT) and Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) Networks. Both Networks are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).