[Barbiturate coma in the treatment of refractory status epilepticus in adults. Usefulness of continuous electroencephalography in intensive care].

Status epilepticus represents one of the most frequent neurological reasons for admission to the intensive care ward. If it resists well-managed treatment, more aggressive measures must be taken. We report 3 such situations in which patients were treated by barbiturate coma under continuous electroencephalographic monitoring. On the basis of this experience we attempt to elaborate guidelines for the use of this technique.