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Convulsions

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

First Aid:

1. When a seizure occurs, the main goal is to protect the person from injury. Try to prevent a fall. Lay the person on the ground in a safe area. Clear the area of furniture or other sharp objects.
2. Cushion the person's head.
3. Loosen tight clothing, especially around the person's neck.
4. Turn the person on his or her side. If vomiting occurs, this helps make sure that the vomit is not inhaled into the lungs.
5. Look for a medical I.D. bracelet with seizure instructions.
6. Stay with the person until recovery or until you have professional medical help. Meanwhile, monitor the person's vital signs ( pulse , rate of breathing).

In an infant or child, if the seizure occurs with a high fever, cool the child gradually with tepid water. You can give the child acetaminophen (Tylenol), especially if the child has had fever convulsions before. DO NOT immerse the child in a cold bath. See fever convulsions .

Do Not:

• DO NOT restrain the person.
• DO NOT place anything between the person's teeth during a seizure (including your fingers).
• DO NOT move the person unless he or she is in danger or near something hazardous.
• DO NOT try to make the person stop convulsing. He or she has no control over the seizure and is not aware of what is happening at the time.
• DO NOT give the person anything by mouth until the convulsions have stopped and the person is fully awake and alert.

Call immediately for emergency medical assistance if:

Call 911 if:

• This is the first time the person has had a seizure.
• A seizure lasts more than 2 to 5 minutes.
• The person does not awaken or have normal behavior after a seizure.
• Another seizure starts soon after a seizure ends.
• The person had a seizure in water.
• The person is pregnant, injured, or has diabetes.
• The person does not have a medical ID bracelet (instructions explaining what to do).
• There is anything different about this seizure compared to the person's usual seizures.

References:

Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2002.

Ford MD, ed. Clinical Toxicology . 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2001.

Goetz CG, Pappert EJ. Textbook of Clinical Neurology . 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2003.

• Review Date: 1/16/2007
• Reviewed By: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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