Seizures - first aid
What you student's should be able to do / understand after the session:
- Understands that a seizure-like episode may be a sign of cardiac arrest, and that the casualty should be assessed for absent or abnormal breathing
- Knowledge that not all seizures are due to epilepsy
- Knowledge that epileptic episodes can be focal or absence seizures
- Understands the general care required during, and after a seizure
- Understands when emergency help should be called.
What is a seizure?
A seizure is an uncontrolled burst of electrical activity in the brain (usually sudden). Nerve cells in the brain, known as neurons, create, send and receive electrical impulses. This allows the cells to communicate, anything that disrupts the communication pathways can lead to a seizure.
What can cause seizures?
- Epilepsy (most common)
- Drugs
- Alcohol poisoning
- 'Hypo' - low blood glucose (diabetes)
- Extreme temperatures
- After Head injury
- After Stroke
Signs & Symptoms of a seizure:
- loss of responsiveness or sudden collapse
- noisy difficulty breathing
- rigid body with arching back
- grey-blue colour on the lips
- jerky uncontrolled movements
- twitching
- saliva at the mouth
- loss of bladder or bowel
First Aid treatment for Seizures:
- Make the area safe from hazards & people
- Do not restrain the person or put anything in their mouth
- Protect their head (i.e. put something soft underneath their head)
- When movements have stopped open their airway & check for breathing. If they are breathing put them in the recovery position
- Monitor level of response and take a note of how long the seizure lasted for
- If the individual becomes unresponsive call 999 or 112 for emergency help (see below). Prepare to give CPR if breathing stops.
Call 999 or 112 (UK) for emergency help if:
- it is the casualty’s first seizure
- they are having repeated seizures
- the cause of the seizure is unknown
- the seizure continues for more than five minutes
- the casualty is unresponsive for more than 10 minutes after the seizure
- they have an injury on another part of the body, or they are not breathing normally.
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