Detecting Non-convulsive Seizures in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

Overall Goals: The overall goals of this research are to: (i) determine the feasibility of studying another approach to the detection of non-convulsive seizures in the paediatric intensive care unit, (ii) determine if paediatric intensive care nurses and non-neurophysiologist critical-care physicians can accurately identify seizures in critically ill children by reading quantitative EEG trends, as well as the positive and negative predictive value and inter-rater reliability of this approach, (iii) explore children's short- and long-term neurological outcomes.

Background: Non-convulsive seizures and non-convulsive status epilepticus are common in children with acute brain injury admitted to paediatric intensive care units. Electrographic seizure burden and status epilepticus contribute to neuronal injury, and worsen functional and quality of life outcomes. Accurate and timely diagnosis and treatment of non-convulsive seizures are essential in these critically ill children.

Purpose: This exploratory study aims to: (i) enable the investigators, after proof of concept, to assess the feasibility of this method, (ii) determine the performance - in real time at the bedside of critically ill children - of caregivers other than neurologists to identify electrographical seizures, using panels of quantitative EEG trends, and (iii) describe the outcome of these children.

Method: This pilot study will be a single-centre prospective open observational study. Thirty consecutive children who meet the specific criteria for continuous EEG in the paediatric intensive care unit at McMaster Children's Hospital will be eligible for enrolment. The paediatric intensive care nurse and resident or fellow will review the quantitative EEG trends to detect seizures at the bedside and complete the seizure log. This will be compared to the seizures detected on the raw EEG data read by the neurologist. Demographic data, baseline, short- and long-term (12-month) questionnaires of each child's global function, quality of life, seizures and brain behaviour will be completed to assess functional and quality of life outcomes. This will include a Seizure questionnaire, the Glasgow Outcome scale, the Paediatric Cerebral Performance Category score, the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory, the Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System 3, the Child Behaviour Checklist and the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function 2.

Expertise: The investigator team includes research experts in neurology, epilepsy, neurophysiology, developmental paediatrics, critical care and biostatistics.

Significance: Due to the small numbers in this pilot study, the investigators are unlikely to be able to draw definitive conclusions on the clinical effects of this approach on the short- or long-term outcomes. This proof-of-concept study should enable the investigators to assess the feasibility of this method for a future multi-centre controlled study, which has the potential to revise and considerably improve the method of detecting non-convulsive seizures in the paediatric intensive care unit. If earlier detection and treatment of seizures in critically ill children are feasible, this should lead to improvements in short- and long-term neurological outcome and quality of life. These improvements may substantially benefit the person, family and society while reducing the burden placed on the health care system.

Inclusion criteria

• Infants and children (1 month - 18 years of age)
• Admission to McMaster Children's Hospital paediatric intensive care unit.
• Fulfill indications for Continuous EEG monitoring
• Informed consent received

Exclusion criteria

• Suspected brain death