Introduction

An anticonvulsant used in the management of status epilepticus (SE) should be easy to administer, have a quick onset and a long duration of action, and have a good safety and tolerability profile. An intravenous (IV) formulation of valproic acid, Depacon, was approved for use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996. It is indicated as an IV alternative as monotherapy and adjunctive therapy in seizures patients when oral administration of valproate products is temporarily not feasible, such as in patients with complex seizures that occur either in isolation or in association with other types of seizures and patients with simple and complex absence seizures. It is also indicated for use adjunctively in patients with multiple seizure types, including absence seizures. Valproate given by IV injection has not been objectively evaluated in the treatment of SE. However, several case reports and small, open-label studies suggest that IV valproate sodium is efficacious in the management of various types of SE in both adults and children.