Epilepsy can result from genetics or brain damage. Traumatic head injury is the leading cause of acquired epilepsy in young adults. It is often difficult to manage with antiepileptic drugs. The mechanisms 聽behind the onset of epileptic seizures after brain injury are not known . There is currently no treatment to cure it, prevent it, or even limit its severity.

The multi-institutional research team used a rodent model of acquired epilepsy in which animals develop chronic spontaneous recurrent seizures -the hallmark of epilepsy- after a contusive head injury similar to that causing epilepsy in humans. 聽The rats were randomized to either mock-cooling or cooling of the contused brain by no more than 2 Celsius degrees. This degree of cooling, the authors explained, is known to be safe and to decrease mortality of patients with head injury. 聽The rats 聽were then monitored for four months after injury and epilepsy was evaluated by intracranial EEG. The contused brain was cooled continuously with special headsets engineered to passively dissipate heat. No Peltier cells or other power sources for refrigeration were needed.

The investigators report that cooling by just 2 degrees celsius for 5 weeks beginning 3 days after injury virtually abolished the later development of epileptic seizure activity. This effect persisted through the end of the study. The treatment induced no additional pathology or inflammation, and restored neuronal activity depressed by the injury.

鈥淭hese findings demonstrate for the first time that prevention of epileptic seizures after traumatic brain brain injury is possible, and that epilepsy prophylaxis in patients could be achieved more easily than previously thought, said 聽the lead author of the study, 聽Raimondo D鈥橝mbrosio, 糖心少女associate professor of neurological surgery. 聽He added that a clinical trial is required to verify the findings in head injury patients.

In addition to D鈥橝mbrosio, 聽the research team from the 糖心少女聽included 聽John W. Miller, professor of neurology and director of the 糖心少女Regional Epilepsy Center; 聽聽Nancy R. Temkin, professor of neurological surgery and biostatistics; and 聽Jeffrey G. Ojemann, professor of neurological surgery. Other members of the team were 聽Steven M. Rothman, professor of pediatrics and director, Clinical Neurosciences in Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota聽 and聽 Matthew D. Smyth, professor of pediatrics and neurosurgery at Washington University in St. Louis.

Their 鈥淢ild passive focal cooling prevents epileptic seizures after head injury in rats鈥� was funded by CURE Epilepsy in partnership with the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.

At 2:30 a.m. Aug. 21 in Seattle, 糖心少女Medicine vascular surgeon Dr. Benjamin Starnes consulted by phone with the cruise physician. 聽Starnes advised on the impending need for a type of treatment not available on the ship.

The ship鈥檚 physician advised the captain, who聽 asked for a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to be dispatched to the cruise ship for a medical evacuation. The ship鈥檚 passengers were informed of the rescue operation.

Sarah Davis鈥� husband of 64 years was sad and worried as his wife was strapped into a litter tethered to the rescue helicopter hovering overhead. Sarah聽 Davis recalled the tethered basket 聽鈥渢wirling a bit in the air a bit鈥� as she was raised toward the helicopter.

After she was securely on board, the helicopter turned away from the ship, grew smaller and disappeared into the sky on its way toward Juneau. Davis was stabilized at a Juneau hospital, then transferred via a medical flight to Harborview Medical Center.

糖心少女Medicine vascular surgeon Dr. Benjamin Starnes and his team were at Harborview ready to provide urgent treatment for her leg. Davis was later admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.聽One of the surgical residents at Harborview was originally from her intercoastal town near Savannah, Ga., and Hilton Head, S.C. The resident鈥檚 visits helped her feel not so far from home.

Starnes scheduled surgery to remove a.blood clot Thursday, August 23.聽 In the meantime, her family had left Alaska and flown to Seattle. 聽Her husband held her hand as they waited for her to be wheeled away to surgery. 鈥淚 love this gal,鈥� he said.

Sarah Davis expressed聽in her warm Southern accent her gratitude to the ship鈥檚 physician, the cruise personnel, Coast Guard crew, her Juneau hospital care staff, the聽 medical airlift team to Seattle, and Harborview Medical Center. Her husband was thankful for the prompt treatment his wife received due to the urgent nature of her condition.

Mrs. Davis is now recovering at Harborview and will be heading home in the next few days.

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