Refractory Status Epilepticus Treated With Vagal Nerve Stimulation: Case Report

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Status epilepticus (SE) refractory to medical treatment has a high mortality rate and few effective treatments. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We describe the implantation of a vagal nerve stimulator to help terminate a case of refractory SE. A 23-year-old man was in SE for 3 weeks without being able to be weaned from intravenous anesthetic agents. After implantation of a vagal nerve stimulator, SE soon terminated, and the patient could be weaned from sedative agents and made a full recovery. CONCLUSION: Vagal nerve stimulator should be considered in cases of refractory SE.