Table 1.
Frequency of responses to questions in our questionnaire separated by primary type of unit in which responders work
| Question | Responders | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All responders | Working predominately in a NICU - Level 3 | Working in paediatrics, Level 2 unit, or interest in epilepsy | Working predominately in paediatric neurology / neurodisability unit | All Consultant Responders | ||
| Do you treat clinical seizures (i.e. where there is no available aEEG / EEG data to confirm abnormal movements are seizures? | Yes | 65/100 (65.0%) | 18/33 (54.6%) | 38/45 (84.4%) | 9/22 (40.9%) | 54/81 (66.7%) |
| No | 9/100 (9.0%) | 4/33 (12.1%) | 3/45 (6.7%) | 2/22 (9.1%) | 5/81 (6.1%) | |
| Sometimes | 26/100 (26.0%) | 11/33 (33.3%) | 4/45 (8.9%) | 11/22 (50.0%) | 22/81 (27.2%) | |
| Do you treat electrical seizures (i.e. diagnosed on aEEG/EEG) which do not have any clinical features to see? | Yes | 34/100 (34.0%) | 14/33 (42.4%) | 15/45 (33.3%) | 5/22 (22.7%) | 27/81 (33.3%) |
| No | 17/100 (17.0%) | 1/33 (3.0%) | 15/45 (33.3%) | 1/22 (4.5%) | 11/81 (13.6%) | |
| Sometimes | 49/100 (49.0%) | 18/33 (54.6%) | 15/45 (33.3%) | 16/22 (72.7%) | 43/81 (53.1%) | |
| Do you think electrical seizures are: | As important as clinical seizures | 53/100 (53.0%) | 17/33 (51.5%) | 25/45 (55.6%) | 11/22 (50.0%) | 43/81 (53.1%) |
| More important than clinical seizures | 9/100 (9.0%) | 2/33 (6.1%) | 4/45 (8.9%) | 3/22 (13.6%) | 6/81 (7.4%) | |
| Less important than clinical seizures | 16/100 (16.0%) | 6/33 (18.2%) | 5/45 (11.1%) | 5/22 (22.8%) | 14/81 (17.3%) | |
| I don’t know | 22/100 (22.0%) | 8/33 (24.2%) | 11/45 (24.4%) | 3/22 (13.6%) | 18/81 (22.2%) | |
| Do you think seizures themselves cause harm to the brain/ development (i.e. not related to apnoea/hypoxia and independent of the underlying cause)? | Yes | 62/100 (62.0%) | 24/33 (72.7%) | 27/45 (60.0%) | 11/22 (50.0%) | 53/81 (65.4%) |
| No | 15/100 (15.0%) | 3/33 (9.1%) | 9/45 (20.0%) | 3/22 (13.6%) | 12/81 (14.8%) | |
| I don’t know | 23/100 (23.0%) | 6/33 (18.2%) | 9/45 (20.0%) | 8/22 (36.4%) | 16/81 (19.8%) | |
| Do you routinely use cerebral function monitoring (aEEG) for monitoring neonates at high risk of seizures or those having recurrent seizures? | We use it in all neonates at risk of seizures | 44/94 (46.8%) | 20/31 (64.5%) | 12/43 (28.0%) | 12/20 (60.0%) | 39/78 (50.0%) |
| We use it only in those with HIE | 10/94 (10.6%) | 5/31 (16.1%) | 5/43 (11.6%) | 0/20 (0.0%) | 9/78 (11.5%) | |
| We use it in selected cases, HIE and non-HIE | 20/94 (21.3%) | 5/31 (16.1%) | 8/43 (18.6%) | 7/20 (35.0%) | 14/78 (18.0%) | |
| We don’t use it at all | 19/94 (20.2%) | 1/31 (3.3%) | 17/43 (39.5%) | 1/20 (5.0%) | 16/78 (20.5%) | |
| I don’t know | 1/94 (1.1%) | 0/31 (0%) | 1/43 (2.3%) | 0/20 (0%) | 0/78 (0%) | |
| With reference to Phenobarbital, do you think it is … | Very effective | 29/94 (30.9%) | 6/31 (19.4%) | 16/43 (37.2%) | 7/20 (35.0%) | 25/78 (32.1%) |
| Stops some seizures but not all | 65/94 (69.1%) | 25/31 (80.6%) | 27/43 (62.8%) | 13/20 (65.0%) | 53/78 (67.9%) | |
| Not at all effective | 0/94 (0%) | 0/31 (0%) | 0/43 (0%) | 0/20 (0%) | 0/78 (0%) | |
| Have you tried Levetiracetam for treatment of neonatal seizures? | Yes | 65/94 (69.1%) | 26/31 (83.9%) | 19/43 (44.2%) | 20/20 (100%) | 59/78 (75.6%) |
| No | 29/94 (30.9%) | 5/31 (16.1%) | 24/43 (55.8%) | 0/20 (0%) | 19/78 (24.4%) | |
| Do you think Levetiracetam (Keppra) is … | Very effective | 21/65 (32.3%) | 8/26 (30.8%) | 9/19 (47.4%) | 4/20 (20.0%) | 19/59 (32.2%) |
| Stops some seizures but not all | 44/65 (67.7%) | 18/26 (69.2%) | 10/19 (52.6%) | 16/20 (80.0%) | 40/59 (67.8%) | |
| Not at all effective | 0/65 (0%) | 0/26 (0%) | 0/19 (0%) | 0/20 (0%) | 0/59 (0%) | |
| Compared to Phenobarbital, do you think Levetiracetam is | Better than phenobarbital | 14/65 (21.5%) | 7/26 (26.9%) | 3/19 (15.8%) | 4/20 (20.0%) | 13/59 (22.0%) |
| As good as phenobarbital | 17/65 (26.2%) | 3/26 (11.5%) | 9/19 (47.4%) | 5/20 (25.0%) | 14/59 (23.7%) | |
| Less good than phenobarbital | 6/65 (9.2%) | 1/26 (3.9%) | 1/19 (5.2%) | 4/20 (20.0%) | 6/59 (10.2%) | |
| I don’t know | 28/65 (43.1%) | 15/26 (57.7%) | 6/19 (31.6%) | 7/20 (35.0%) | 26/59 (44.1%) | |