Treatment considerations for the management of neonatal onset seizures

Neonates are at an increased risk for seizures and are treated based on separate clinical practice guidelines compared with the pediatric patient population. Most seizures in the neonatal population are provoked, with the most common cause being intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm neonates and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in term neonates. Prompt recognition and treatment are considered cornerstones of therapy to help optimize long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. This article focuses on considerations for pharmacological interventions in the treatment of neonatal seizures.