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Seizure
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Seizure, sometimes referred to a convulsions, can be the result of some medical conditions, head injury or poisoning. It can also be brought on, especially in children, by the sudden onset of high fever
Seizure can be as dramatic as global (Grand Mal) seizure where the patient is unable to control muscle tone. The limbs tremor, the body shakes, the eyes close, some utterances (moaning) may occur and the patient is unable to communicate. This may last for a couple of minutes. It is genuinely frightening to witness this type of seizure, because you are certain that the person is about to die. The seizure may actually cause them to stop breathing because the muscle tone in the respiratory system can not be controlled. As a result, they will first turn red, then blue, and then usually they become very still.
Or seizure can be as quiet as a focal (Petit Mal) seizure where the patient may experience a tremor in one arm or a blank stare for a few seconds. It has been suggested that "day dreaming" may actually be the quietest form of petit mal seizure.
A single grand mal seizure is not considered a life threat, and the first aider intervention should be to "protect" the patient, not control the seizure. Move furniture out of the way, provide padding between thrashing limbs and hard objects and protect the patient's head and airway. Do not restrain the patient, this will only cause further harm. Do not place anything in the patient's mouth. (It is a common, yet erroneous, belief that the patient can swallow their tongue during seizure.) When the seizure stops, protect the patient's airway, by positioning the head, and monitor the patient's breathing. If the patient stops breathing, or doesn't start breathing after the seizure stops, make certain that the head is in the proper position (See Hyperextension) and administer rescue breathing as taught in a CPR class. If there is any possibility that this patient has sustained any neck injury, either during, at the onset of, or prior to the seizure, hyperextension of the neck is not advised. In that event, the rescuer is encouraged to use the Modified Jaw Thrust.
A patient who experiences petit mal seizure should be evaluated by a medical professional as soon as possible.
