Study Suggests Autoinjector for Status Epilepticus May Be Possible

This week’s New England Journal of Medicine features a research article highlighting the results of the NIH Rapid Anticonvulsant Medication Prior to Arrival Trial (RAMPART) study, which sought to determine whether the use of an intramuscular device (an autoinjector similar to the EpiPen used to treat serious allergic reactions) might be more effective than IV injections as a means of stopping prolonged seizures (status epilepticus) as a first-line treatment.

The investigators compared midazolam and lorazepam, which are benzodiazepines known to be effective in controlling seizures. They concluded that additional research is still required, but that it was possible that they would someday be available for epilepsy patients.

According to a press release issued by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the study

"is the first randomized clinical trial to investigate whether intramuscular delivery of midazolam is as effective as IV lorazepam, the current standard of care therapy.  The trial started in 2009 and completed enrollment in June, 2011.  RAMPART involved more than 79 hospitals, 33 emergency medical services agencies, more than 4,000 paramedics and 893 patients ranging in age from several months old to 103.  The network of investigators that designed and carried out the trial was established by NINDS to conduct clinical trials on a variety of acute conditions affecting the brain such as stroke and traumatic brain injury.  NETT [Neurological Emergencies Treatment Trials] investigators are organized into a system of 17 major research hospitals each of which is linked to several community hospitals and other medical centers."

Read the press release here.