New research out of Switzerland shows that among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with seizures, status epilepticus (SE) was seen in about half of the patients. The study, conducted from 2015-2020, included 404 patients with isolated seizures or SE. Of those patients, 51% had SE. Patients with isolated seizures faired more poorly than patients with SE on several outcomes, including having a higher median Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) (5 vs. 3), more fatal etiologies (80.5% vs. 43.6%), lower median Glasgow Coma Scores (5 vs. 7), longer median ICU and hospital stay (ICU: 5 vs. 4 days; hospital stay: 15 vs. 13 days), and recovering to premorbid function less often (17% vs. 36.8%). The odds ratio for SE decreased as CCI, fatal etiology, and epilepsy increased, according to multivariable analyses. After excluding patients with seizures as the reason for ICU admission, Additionally, there was an association between SE and systematic inflammation in all patient subgroups, except for those with epilepsy. “Besides the unexpected low odds for SE with higher CCI, fatal etiology, and epilepsy, the association of inflammation with SE in the critically ill without epilepsy represents a potential treatment target and deserves further attention,” the researchers conclude.