© 2001 the Emergency Medicine Journal
Best evidence topic report
Lorazepam or diazepam for generalised convulsions in adults
Department of Emergency Medicine, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
Report by John Butler, Specialist Registrar Search checked by Mark Lewis, Specialist Registrar
A 45 year old woman epileptic presents after sustaining a grand mal convulsion at home. She starts fitting again on arrival in the emergency department; the fit does not stop spontaneously after five minutes. The paramedics have secured intravenous access before arrival but have not given any anticonvulsants. You wonder whether lorazepam is more effective than diazepam as a first choice drug to safely terminate this convulsion.
In [an adult epileptic patient suffering a grand mal fit] is [intravenous lorazepam safer and more effective than intravenous diazepam] at [safely terminating the convulsions].
Medline 1966–09/00 using the OVID interface. [(exp epilepsy OR exp epilepsy, generalised OR exp epilepsy, tonic-clonic OR epilepsy.mp OR fits.mp OR exp convulsions OR convulsion$.mp OR exp seizures OR exp alcohol withdrawal seizures OR seizure$.mp) AND (exp lorazepam OR lorazepam$.mp)] LIMIT to human AND english.
Altogether 133 papers found of which 131 were irrelevant or of insufficient quality.
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