Febrile Seizures

In my line of work I tend to pay close attention to those emergency situations that can be prevented without our (public safety officials) assistance. Meaning, if people are more aware of how to handle certain emergency situations at hand a lot of initial response can be more manageable (to help the situation rather than hurt it). With that said, I would like to talk about febrile seizures and how you can be a great asset to help rectify the matter if or when it occurs.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes website (2011), a febrile seizure occurs when an infant/toddler have a sudden spike in his/her temperature because of a sudden sickness (e.g. cold, flu, teething, etc.). This type of seizure is very unexpected to most parents, guardians, and/or caregivers and they respond as any normal person would do because they have no idea of what's happening. The seizure usually last on for a few moments/seconds. However there are some that can last longer. If the seizure last more than 10 minutes emergency medical services are needed and HIGHLY recommended. To help prevent febrile seizures, monitor your child's fever at any point when they start showing signs of being or becoming sick. Administer fever reducing medicines that will keep their fever stay at bay. Remember, the best and most accurate way to check their fever is rectally. If the seizure does occur you must treat it like any other person having a seizure, which is to lay them on a "protected surface", lay them on their side to prevent choking of any foreign object or saliva, hold their head to prevent any head injury, and wait until it subsides. Once the seizure ends you should expect the child to be somewhat out of it, this is called the Postictal State (an altered state of consciousness). They might have also loss control of their bowel or urine (incontinence). This is very normal after a seizure. One thing that you must NOT do is cover the child up in anything (blanket, towel, sheet, etc.) this will make their fever worse and will not help the situation.

For many parents who may read this, I know this can be a scary thing to think about concerning your child but I'd rather for you to be prepared than thrown off guard. Your preparedness determines how you respond and at moments like this your child will need you to think as clearly as possible. My last note, if you did not have to go to the level of calling 911 or taking your child to the emergency room because the seizure did not subside (meaning you got through it enought to make it to the next day), take your child to see their pediatrician so they can document this episode and run tests if needed.

Hope this was insightful to you and you are able to be more prepared. Below is a link for you to gather more information about febrile seizures:

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/febrile_seizures/detail_febrile_seizures.htm#178003111


Peace & Blessings,

M. D. Martin