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Introduction — Issues in Providing Care — Primary Assessment & Basic Life Support — Secondary Assessment — Circulatory Emergencies
Respiratory Emergencies — Soft Tissue Injuries
— Bone & Joint Injuries — Environmental Illness & Injury
Medical Conditions & Poisoning — Advanced Topics — Appendices — Meta content
[edit] Introduction
A seizure occurs when the electrical activity of the brain becomes irregular. When the electrical activity is severely irregular, the result may be a seizure. A seizure is a medical emergency. Seizures may be caused by either an acute or chronic condition such as epilepsy.
Risk Factors for Seizures:
- Head trauma
- Infections of the brain or spinal cord
- Epilepsy
- Stroke
- Drug use or withdrawal
- Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar)
- Heat Stroke
- Fever in infants
Often before a seizure occurs, the victim may feel an aura, which is an unusual sensation that typically precedes seizures. Auras may come in many forms; often if the person is epileptic, they may be aware that a seizure is imminent and may tell others or sit or lie down to prevent injury.
[edit] Recognition
Typically seizures usually last no more than three minutes. Some common occurrences during a seizure include stopped or irregular breathing, body rigidness or convulsing, defecation, urination, and drooling.
[edit] Treatment
 Don't do this! |
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|---|---|
| Never try to restrain the seizure Never put anything in the mouth |
Seeing a seizure may be a frightening experience which may cause you hesitation to act to aid the victim. However, it is very easy to care for the victim. Never attempt to hold them in any way to stop their seizure - the victim is unaware that it is occurring and is unable to control it. Attempting to restrain an individual having a seizure may result in injuries to both you and the victim. Also, do not attempt to stick anything into the victim's mouth - the victim will not swallow their tongue and sticking something in their mouth can cause further injury or death. The tongue may obstruct the airway during the seizure, but this is normal.
Care for Seizures:
- Call EMS or have someone call for you
- Move anything the victim can injure themselves with away from the victim such as chairs or other objects
- Gently support the victim's head to prevent it from hitting the ground
- Request that all bystanders move away (persons having a seizure are often embarrassed after their seizure)
- After the seizure has ended, roll the victim into the recovery position but only if you do not suspect a spinal injury
After the seizure, the victim will slowly "awaken." Ensure that bystanders are away and offer reassurance for the victim. Victims who have a seizure in public are often self-conscious about their condition. The victim will be very tired after his seizure. Continue to reassure the victim until he or she is fully aware of the surroundings or until EMS arrives.
