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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Pediatr. 2021 Oct 30;242:63–73. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.10.058

Table 2:

Comparison of Demographic, EEG Monitoring, Seizure Characteristics, Seizure Treatment, and Outcomes Between the Cardiopulmonary Disease and Non-Cardiopulmonary Disease Cohorts. Data are presented as N (%) or median [interquartile range]

Variable Cardiopulmonary Disease Cohort (N=83) Non-Cardiopulmonary Disease Cohort (N=271) p-value
Demographics
Sex, female 36 (43%) 122 (45%) 0.79
Gestational age (weeks) 38.6 [37, 40] 39.3 [38, 40] 0.001
Birth weight (kilograms) 3.1 [2.6, 3.5] 3.3 [2.8, 3.6] 0.06
Apgar, 1 minute 7 [3, 8] 2 [1, 7] <0.001
Apgar, 5 minutes 8 [6, 9] 6 [3, 9] 0.002
EEG Monitoring Characteristics
EEG Location <0.001
 Neonatal ICU 39 (47%) 265 (98%)
 Pediatric ICU 2 (2%) 5 (2%)
 Cardiac ICU 42 (50%) 0 (0%)
 Other 0 (0%) 1 (0.4%)
EEG Indication <0.001
 Clinical events 40 (48%) 142 (52%)
 Encephalopathy 13 (16%) 72 (27%)
 Clinical events and encephalopathy 8 (10%) 53 (20%)
 Paralysis 2 (2%) 0 (0.0%)
 Other 20 (24%) 4 (2%)
Age at start of EEG (hours) 141 [53, 305] 29 [10, 68] <0.001
Seizure Characteristics
Primary Seizure Etiology <0.001
 HIE 30 (36%) 144 (53%)
 Ischemic stroke 22 (26%) 55 (20%)
 Hemorrhage 12 (14%) 44 (16%)
 Infection 1 (1%) 28 (10%)
 Other*** 18 (22%) 0 (0%)
Clinical Seizure Prior to EEG Monitoring 47 (57%) 188 (69%) 0.03
Age at first seizure [clinical or EEG] (hours) 173.7 [45.7, 339.1] 21.3 [9.7, 56.7] <0.001
EEG-only seizures present 33 (40%) 56 (21%) <0.001
EEG seizure exposure 0.27
 None 11 (13%) 40 (15%)
 Rare (<7) 15 (18%) 64 (24%)
 Many-recurrent (≥7) 32 (39%) 116 (43%)
 Status epilepticus 24 (29%) 48 (18%)
 Unknown 1 (1%) 3 (1%)
Treatment Characteristics
Initial ASM 0.03
 Phenobarbital 69 (85%) 247 (92%)
 Phenytoin / fosphenytoin 2 (2%) 1 (0.4%)
 Levetiracetam 7 (9%) 7 (3%)
 Other 1 (1%) 1 (0.4%)
 N/A – no load given 2 (2%) 14 (5%)
ASM(s) administered+
 Benzodiazepine intermittent dose 10 (12%) 55 (20%) 0.09
 Benzodiazepine infusion 14 (17%) 26 (10%) 0.07
 Phenobarbital 76 (92%) 255 (94%) 0.41
 Phenytoin / fosphenytoin 28 (34%) 97 (36%) 0.73
 Levetiracetam 39 (47%) 81 (30%) 0.004
 Topiramate 3 (4%) 7 (3%) 0.62
 Vitamins# 6 (7%) 7 (3%) 0.08
 Other ASM^ 4 (5%) 3 (1%) 0.03
Phenobarbital prior to EEG 20 (24%) 137 (51%) <0.001
Phenobarbital total loading dose (mg/kg) 40 [20, 50] 30 [20, 40] 0.02
Highest phenobarbital level 45 [31, 59] 45 [35, 53] 0.74
Phenytoin / fosphenytoin total loading dose (mg/kg) 20 [20, 30] 20 [20, 22] 0.09
Levetiracetam total loading dose (mg/kg) 40 [20, 60] 40 [30, 60] 0.48
Incomplete response to initial ASM loading dose N=77 N=261 0.75
51 (66%) 178 (68%)
Disposition
Discharge or Death on ASM 68 (82%) 183 (68%) 0.01
Disposition 0.01
 Death 25 (30%) 37 (14%)
 Home 53 (64%) 193 (71%)
 Transfer 3 (4%) 25 (9%)
 Hospice 2 (2%) 12 (4%)
 Long-term care facility 0 (0%) 4 (2%)
Age at death (days) 23 [12, 50] 5 [3, 18] 0.001
Age at discharge (days) 37 [20, 63] 12 [9, 22] <0.001

Abbreviations: HIE, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy; ASM, antiseizure medication; ICU, intensive care unit.

*

Other primary seizure etiologies include brain malformation (6 CHD, 1 CDH), inborn errors of metabolism (1 CHD), neonatal epilepsy (3 CHD), and other (5 CHD, 2 multi-diagnoses).

+

Multiple Antiseizure medications could be administered throughout the hospital course.

#

Vitamins include pyridoxine, folinic acid, and pyridoxal-5-phosphate.

^

Other medications include acetazolamide, bumetanide, carbamazepine, lacosamide, lidocaine, oxcarbazepine, valproic acid, and other vitamins (calcitriol, calcium, magnesium, thiamine).