PP07.10 – 2874: Frequency of ambulance use and hospital admission following prolonged acute convulsive seizures in a European survey of children with epilepsy

Abstract

Objective To explore patterns of healthcare utilization in children with epilepsy who experience prolonged acute convulsive seizures (PACS) and have prescribed rescue medication for PACS. Methods Practices in Emergency and Rescue medication For Epilepsy managed with Community-administered Therapy 3 [PERFECT-3]) enrolled non-institutionalized children (aged 3–16 years) who had been diagnosed with epilepsy ≥12 months previously, had experienced ≥1 PACS within the last 12 months, and had currently prescribed rescue medication(s) for PACS. Patients' parents/guardians completed web-based questionnaires. Results Parents of 258 patients in Germany (n=87), Italy (n=74), Spain (n=72) and the UK (n=25) completed the survey. Rescue medication was always carried by 42.4% of children, was carried by an accompanying adult for 44.0%, and was sometimes or never carried by 6.6% and 7.0%, respectively. For 220 patients (87.3%), the first event following PACS was usually administration of rescue medication at the seizure location. An ambulance was called for 34/171 (19.9%) children whose most recent prolonged seizure occurred at home and for 18/32 (56.3%) at school. In the last three months, an ambulance was called at least once for 54 patients (21.5%), 75 (30.0%) were treated at least once in an emergency department or as outpatients, 21 (8.4%) were admitted at least once to an intensive-care or high-dependency unit, and 32 (12.7%) were admitted at least once to another hospital ward following a seizure. In the last 12 months, an ambulance was called for 100 patients (39.4%), 150 (59.1%) were taken to hospital and 129 (50.8%) were admitted to hospital. Conclusions Although rescue medication was usually carried and usually given at the seizure location, healthcare utilization was high in this European survey of children with epilepsy who experience PACS. Study funded by ViroPharma (part of the Shire Group of Companies)