Oxygen desaturation in patients with functional seizures: pitfalls for the unwary.
Takamichi Kanbayashi, Kirsteen Brown, Jon Stone
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
A patient with recurrent functional seizures exhibited documented oxygen desaturation, leading to extensive cardiopulmonary investigations and repeat video-electroencephalogram evaluation. In a controlled environment, the desaturations were found to be artefactual, resulting from brief breath-holding and not indicative of true hypoxia, as saturations remained within the expected physiological range.
What made this case unusual
The case highlights the occurrence of oxygen desaturation during functional seizures, which can mislead clinicians and prompt unnecessary investigations.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
Clinicians should be aware of the potential for artefactual oxygen desaturation in patients with functional seizures, as this can lead to misinterpretation of clinical status.
Why it matters
Recognizing the common artefactual causes of low oxyhaemoglobin saturation is crucial to prevent unnecessary anxiety and investigations for both patients and healthcare providers.