How To Manage Pediatric Seizures

By the age of 16, 1 in 20 children will have experienced a pediatric seizure. Although it’s somewhat common among children, it doesn’t make it any less alarming for the parents of a child who’s experiencing a seizure. Knowing some surface-level information about a scary topic can help a parent remain calm during an emergency, so today, we’re giving you an introductory overview of how the emergency room manages pediatric seizures. It’s helpful to know what to expect just in case you ever find yourself in the situation.

Assessing the seizure

In order to effectively evaluate pediatric seizures, our board-certified pediatricians begin with a series of questions about the event. These will involve details about the onset, duration, movements and recovery. For children who can articulate their experience, additional questions may be asked. During a seizure, parents should make detailed notes about the movements of the eyes, neck and head to help inform the doctor’s diagnoses. Following the assessment, it will be determined whether or not a child has experienced true seizure activity. That said, there are also varying seizure categories to take into consideration. That’s why, in addition to helping determine the seizure cause, the physician will conduct the appropriate workup to evaluate whether the event was a simple or complex febrile seizure in nature.

Signs of true seizure activity

·        Concentrated tongue-biting

·        Flickering eyelids

·        Dilated pupils

·        Blank staring

·        Lip smacking

·        Spikes in heart rate and blood pressure during an event

·        Postictal phase: changes in behavior, mood and/or motor function

It’s important to be aware that some ailments, like breath-holding in infants or pediatric fainting, can sometimes appear like a seizure. By focusing on these highly specific signs of seizure activity, parents can better distinguish between them.

Epilepsy in children

For children who have experienced a simple febrile seizure, there’s a 2% chance of developing epilepsy. The risk jumps to 5% following a complex febrile seizure. Epilepsy in children or adults is described as seizures occurring repeatedly overtime, that aren’t provoked by an acute illness like fever or an acute brain injury. If a child has had multiple unprovoked seizures, and the doctor believes a reoccurrence is likely, he or she may be diagnosed with epilepsy. Usually, those diagnosed with epilepsy will be prescribed an anticonvulsant medication.

What to do if your child experiences a seizure

Although there are many different types of pediatric seizures, the team at Laredo Emergency Room is highly qualified to treat any pediatric emergency with urgency and compassion. Were commend that you keep our phone number, 956-242-6790, and our address,7510 McPherson Road, Suite #101, Laredo, TX, 78041, on your list of emergency contact information, as it’s always best to be as prepared as possible for events requiring immediate medical attention. Pediatric seizures can be scary to experience and witness, but our expert team at Laredo Emergency Room will work hard to ensure that you and your child are comfortable throughout the process – and back to feeling better in no time.

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