Ictal asystole in temporal lobe epilepsy before and after pacemaker implantation

Events of ictal bradycardia or asystole may be of relevance in epilepsy patients presenting with ictal falls, and are a potential contributor to SUDEP. The literature on ictal bradycardia or asystole is anecdotal and consists of case reports and small case series. There are no guidelines for the care of patients with ictal arrythmias. Insertion of cardiac pacemakers may prevent life-threatening cardiac arrest, syncope and trauma. We report the case of a 41-year-old man who presented with refractory partial seizures resulting in syncope leading to severe head trauma, as the only ictal semiology. During presurgical video-EEG monitoring, two episodes of ictal bradycardia followed by asystole and syncope were recorded. A cardiac pacemaker was implanted. At the nine-month follow-up, the patient reported no overt seizures, syncopes or traumatic falls. Our case demonstrates that implantation of a cardiac pacemaker while continuing AEDs may render a patient free from ictal symptoms and prevent ictal syncope and subsequent trauma. [Published with video sequences].