Isoflurane for 7 days in refractory status epilepticus.

There is limited experience with continuous (>3 days) isoflurane anesthesia for status epilepticus (SE). We present a case with prolonged SE, probably due to thallium intoxication, in which isoflurane successfully suppressed seizure activity over 7 days without adverse effects. When isoflurane was discontinued, seizures returned despite high doses of barbiturates, and the patient died several months later. Early isoflurane anesthesia is an effective alternative therapy in prolonged convulsive SE resistant to common therapy and intravenous general anesthesia. However, its continuous application for several days requires familiarity with anesthesiologic principles, and scavenging of expiratory air.