Clinical trial NCT02920060: Levetiracetam Versus Sodium Valproate in Children With Refractory Generalized Convulsive Status Epilepticus
Official title: Levetiracetam Versus Sodium Valproate in Children With Refractory Generalized Convulsive Status Epilepticus : An Open Randomized Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE2
Conditions: Grand Mal Status Epilepticus
Keywords: RSE
Lead sponsor: Banaras Hindu University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Institute of Medical Sciences of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU),India
First posted: 2016-09-30
Enrollment: 80
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 1
Maximum age (years): 16
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study is a randomized, open label, parallel group,comparing the safety and efficacy of valproate and levetiracetam in patients of age group 1 to 16 years with status epilepticus not responded to phenytoin and benzodiazepines approaching to pediatric emergency , IMS, BHU. The primary outcome measures will be Proportion of children in either group who have Cessation of all clinical seizure within 30 min of drug administration and secondary outcome will be time taken to control seizure (minutes) from the initiation of infusion. Proportion of children in either group who required additional drugs to abort ongoing clinical seizures, rates of adverse events (hypotension, bradycardia, respiratory depression, PICU stay, in hospital mortality) in the two groups were measured. Refractory status epilepticus condition is major pediatric neurological emergency with high mortality and morbidity. Till now, the treatment guidelines for it are based primarily on retrospective studies with very few randomized studies. There is lack of sufficient data to recommend one drug over another for treatment of refractory status epilepticus.

Detailed description: In our study patients were considered to have RSE if children were still having active convulsions despite receiving injection lorazepam intravenously at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg (max 4 mg) at a rate maximum upto 2 mg/min or intravenous diazepam at a dose of 0.2 - 0.3 mg/Kg (maximum 10 mg) slowly or intravenous midazolam at a dose of 0.15 - 0.2 mg/kg(max 5 mg). In case of children with difficult intravenous access buccal/nasal midazolam 0.2 - 0.3 mg/kg (maximum 5 mg) per rectal diazepam 0.5 mg/kg (maximum 10 mg) or intramuscular midazolam 0.2 mg/kg (maximum 5 mg). If seizure continued at 5 minutes, a repeat dose of benzodiazepine was given with same dose. At 10 minutes, if the seizure activity still remains intravenous phenytoin was given at a dose of 20mg/kg(maximum- 1000mg) at a rate of 1mg/kg/minute or intravenous fosphenytoin at 20mg PE/kg (if available) at a rate of 3mg PE/kg/minute.

Patients having seizure activity despite administration of above medications were considered to have RSE. Out of thousands of patients seen in outdoor and emergency ward, 80 patients were diagnosed to have RSE and met the inclusion criteria. After counselling the parents/guardians about the medications and obtaining a written informed consent they were randomized to into two groups : sodium valproate(V) and levetiracetam group(L), using a computer generated randomization chart. Forty patients in group V received intravenous valproic acid in dose of 20 mg/kg as loading dose at a rate of 40 mg/min after dilution with normal saline followed by maintenance dose of 10mg/kg/dose 8 hourly. In group L patients received intravenous levetiracetam as loading dose of 30 mg/kg at a rate of 50 mg/min followed by 20mg/kg/dose 12 hourly.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age - 1 year to 16 years
2. Gender - male and female both
3. Refractory generalized convulsive status epilepticus i.e. not responding to any two of the first line drugs

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with epilepsia partialis continua.
2. Patients with definite history of any allergic reaction to intravenous levetiracetam or intravenous valproate, or any contraindications in giving these drugs.

Primary outcomes:
measure: cessation of convulsions (clinically evident motor activity)
timeFrame: 30 minutes
Secondary outcomes:
measure: seizure activity at 24 hours of infusion
timeFrame: 24 hours
measure: seizure recurrence
timeFrame: 24 hours
measure: additional number of drugs
timeFrame: 24 hours
measure: time taken to control seizure activity
timeFrame: 24 hours
measure: change in vital parameters after infusing interventional agent
timeFrame: 24 hours
measure: neurological outcome and seizure control
timeFrame: 1 month
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Banaras Hindu University
name: Rajniti Prasad, MD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References: