To study and compare past medical history, surgical factors, morbidity, mortality and prognosis of patients who develop epileptic seizures (ES) and/or non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) against those who don’t, after central cardiovascular surgery (CCS). 

Neurological complications are a relatively frequent event after CCS, stroke being the first. Nevertheless, ES have an incidence between 0.5 and 1% with a high risk of recurrence. Despite this, there are few studies on its incidence, the existence of predictive factors and long term prognosis, even less regarding NCSE.

Case-control study. We analyzed patients evaluated for ES and/or NCSE in the postoperative period of CCS from 2008 to 2018. For each case, three healthy paired controls were selected. Medical background, type of surgery, pre, intra and post-surgical variables were compared.

We studied 65 cases and 195 controls.

The prevalence of postoperative epileptic complications (PEC) was 1.1%.

Median age: 70 years, female 46.2% (cases) and 41.5% (controls).

Cases presented significantly lower left ventricular systolic function, hematocrit values and higher creatinine levels prior to the surgery. Moreover they had a higher requirement for blood products and hemodynamic support during surgery. At the same time, cases had worse prognosis, with significantly higher mortality, days of hospitalization and postoperative stroke incidence.

Although PEC are rare, they have a negative impact on the prognosis of these patients. We found related variables that could be improved before the procedure. Its diagnostic suspicion and early recognition is important for its timely treatment, especially when dealing with NCSE.