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  • Title: Heart rate variability analysis indicates preictal parasympathetic overdrive preceding seizure-induced cardiac dysrhythmias leading to sudden unexpected death in a patient with epilepsy.
    Author: Jeppesen J, Fuglsang-Frederiksen A, Brugada R, Pedersen B, Rubboli G, Johansen P, Beniczky S.
    Journal: Epilepsia; 2014 Jul; 55(7):e67-71. PubMed ID: 24701979.
    Abstract:
    Evidence for seizure-induced cardiac dysrhythmia leading to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) has been elusive. We present a patient with focal cortical dysplasia who has had epilepsy for 19 years and was undergoing presurgical evaluation. The patient did not have any cardiologic antecedents. During long-term video-electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring, following a cluster of secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS), the patient had prolonged postictal generalized EEG suppression, asystole, followed by arrhythmia, and the patient died despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Analysis of heart rate variability showed a marked increase in the parasympathetic activity during the period preceding the fatal seizures, compared with values measured 1 day and 7 months before, and also higher than the preictal values in a group of 10 patients with GTCS without SUDEP. The duration of the QTc interval was short (335-358 msec). This unfortunate case documented during video-EEG monitoring indicates that autonomic imbalance and seizure-induced cardiac dysrhythmias contribute to the pathomechanisms leading to SUDEP in patients at risk (short QT interval).
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