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Stage 1 Plus was introduced to identify a treatment-naïve, high-risk phase of status epilepticus (SE), in which benzodiazepine (BDZ) unresponsiveness is likely at first evaluation, and therefore may warrant early combination therapy rather than delayed, sequential add-on therapy. The clinical purpose is to intervene before progression toward self-sustaining stages and their long-term consequences. In the Critical Review “Status Epilepticus: Is There a Stage 1 Plus?” by Magro et al.,1 Stage 1 Plus was defined primarily on the basis of generalized convulsive semiology, with a prespecified cutoff of 10 min for early polytherapy. The rationale is supported by preclinical models: in ongoing SE, γ-Aminobutyric acid A (GABA-A) receptors begin to move away from the synapse ~10 min after onset, and this process continues with each passing minute, making BDZ progressively less effective. In parallel, excitatory N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazoleproprionic acid (AMPA) receptors are recruited, further favoring glutamate-mediated excitation and BDZ pharmacoresistance.2 A single cutoff time is operationally convenient; however, SE is heterogeneous, with different t1 and t2 times across phenotypes (t1 = abnormally prolonged seizures; t2 = high risk of long-term consequences). Therefore, a refinement is proposed: a semiology-adapted Stage 1 Plus threshold time (tS), placed intentionally within the phenotype-specific t1–t2 window, already established by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Task Force.3 These thresholds are operational cutoffs that require prospective validation and are designed to provide a simple marker of “early high risk” SE across semiology. Operationally, tS at ~10 min for generalized convulsive SE (GCSE) was initially proposed. A ~ 20 min threshold for focal SE with impaired consciousness is proposed here, and ~30–40 min for non-convulsive SE (NCSE), particularly when coma is present. For NCSE, a clear t2 is less well defined; nonetheless, evidence from many animal models, as highlighted in a recent letter from Professor Wasterlain,4 suggests an NCSE-specific tS of ~30–40 min. (See Table 1 and Figure 1). Moreover, in out-of-hospital settings, SE is often first recognized not at t1 but at a later time, such as tS, when the patient is treatment naïve yet probably already BDZ nonresponsive. In this setting, early combination therapy at tS may reduce the duration of ongoing seizure activity, as in preclinical models. The expected advantages include potentially lower cumulative anti-seizure medication doses, possibly also reducing intensive-care unit–related complications. Finally, beyond semiology, additional high-risk contexts, such as acute primary central nervous system etiologies, may plausibly warrant the same early combination treatment proposed for GCSE, pending stronger preclinical and human evidence. In conclusion, Stage 1 Plus is proposed as a semiology-adapted operational cutoff (tS) placed within t1–t2: a simple bedside marker to support earlier combination therapy when SE is first recognized late in its course, with the explicit goal of acting before progression to refractoriness. Conceptualization; writing—original draft; writing—review and editing: G.M. The author has nothing to report. The author has nothing to report. The author declares no conflicts of interest. I confirm that I have read the journal's position on issues involved in ethical publication and affirm that this report is consistent with those guidelines. Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed for this work.