Professional Documents
Culture Documents
College of Nursing
Hatem Alsrour
Seizure - an uncontrolled paroxysmal
discharge of the CNS that interferes
with normal function.
Epilepsy - repeated occurrence of any
of the various forms of seizures.
Prodrome - Mood or Behavior change
that precedes a seizure.
Aura - Localized symptom that may
be the first part of a seizure.
Tonic - A sustained muscular
contraction.
Clonic - Intermittent muscular
contractions and relaxation.
A seizure is a temporary involuntary
disturbance of brain function that may
be manifested as impaired
consciousness, abnormal motor
activity, sensory disturbances or
autonomic dysfunction.
Seizures are accompanied by
abnormal electrical discharges in the
brain that can usually be detected by
electroen- cephalography.
Not a disease but a symptom.
Common Denominator - increased
permeability of neuronal cell
membranes causes an increase in
neuronal cell excitability.
Things that can cause membrane
instability:
Deficiency in Oxygen
Deficiency in Glucose
Decrease in Calcium
Of all patients with epilepsy, 70%
have only one type of seizure
disorder whereas the remaining
30% have two or more types.
Partial Seizures:
Simple
Complex
Generalized Seizures:
Tonic-clonic
Myoclonic
Atonic
Absence seizures (petit mal)
Febrile seizure:
type of generalized tonic-clonic
occur in 2-5% of the US population.
usually no medication
Status epilepticus:
most often a generalized tonic-clonic
associated risks
Adult-Onset Epilepsy most often
indicates the presence of a structural
lesion of the brain.
Primary (genetic epilepsy) - 65% of
persons with recurrent seizures.
Secondary (acquired epilepsy) - 35% of persons with
recurrent seizures.
Most common secondary causes:
Congenital abnormalities
Perinatal Injuries
Metabolic and Toxic Disorders
Head Trauma
Tumors
Vascular Disease
Degenerative Disorders
Infectious Diseases
As noted above, care of a seizure
patient begins with the ABCs
Most often, this is all that will be
necessary, as most seizures last only
two or three minutes
If the patient is convulsing at the time
EMS personnel arrive, note the time
and make an attempt to find out how
long the seizure has been going on
Start an IV line and check blood sugar.
As already stated, if it is below 60,
give the patient IV glucose. If the
seizure lasts more than five minutes,
institute specific treatment for the
seizure, as seizures lasting more than
five minutes have a much greater
chance of going on to status
epilepticus
Status epilepticus is defined as a
seizure lasting more than 20 (some
say 30) minutes, or repetitive seizures
without return to the patient's normal
mental state between seizures
Status epilepticus is a true medical
emergency, with a mortality of up to
15%
The drugs of choice to treat a
prolonged seizure or status epilepticus
in the field are the benzodiazepines
diazepam or lorazepam