[HT-09] Critical care in epilepsy

[HT-09-1] Nonconvulsive seizures and status epilepticus in the critically ill: the silent epidemic

Lawrence J. Hirsch (Professor of Neurology and Chief of Epilepsy/EEG at Yale University, USA)

Epilepsy is defined as the chronic disease mostly characterized by recurrent seizures, and frequently it also leads to the emergency situation such as status epilepticus or frequent seizures. Recently, new-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) or super-refractory non-convulsive status epilepticus were documented and its cause and treatment remain to be solved. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy（SUDEP）is also needed to be studied for its cause and prevention. Clinically in the real world situation, psychogenic non-epileptic seizure (PNES) also occurs not infrequently that make the situation more complicated, and thus precise diagnosis and treatment is essential in critical care in epilepsy care. In this session, the above topics will be discussed together and finally it will provide the audience with updated clinical knowledge in daily epilepsy and seizure care.

Dr. Hirsch completed medical school and internship at Yale University, neurology residency at Columbia University, and a two-year fellowship in Epilepsy and EEG at Columbia. He created and directed the Continuous EEG Monitoring Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center for 10 years, and became Professor of Clinical Neurology at Columbia University in 2010. He moved to Yale University in 2011 as Professor of Neurology, Director of Epilepsy/EEG, Co-Director of Critical Care EEG Monitoring, and Co-Director of the Yale Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.
Dr. Hirsch has published more than 150 original research manuscripts and more than 120 invited reviews, editorials or chapters. His research interests and publications are on topics such as brain monitoring with EEG in the critically ill, status epilepticus, epilepsy surgery, electrocorticography, brain mapping, brain stimulation for epilepsy and seizure clusters. Dr. Hirsch is the founder and former chair of the Critical Care EEG Monitoring Research Consortium, which now includes >50 centers in North America and Europe. He is lead author of the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society's guideline on critical care EEG terminology. He has won multiple teaching awards, and is co-author of the first-ever Atlas of EEG in Critical Care.