Volume 8, Issue 5: Convulsions in Children

Convulsions in Children – a shock to the system

A quiet night, might be a chance to catch up on some admin, but before you even get started a call comes in to a two year old boy who is “not alert – not responding, breathing present”. The parents are very concerned as they report ‘when I tried to speak to him he just did not respond to me’. Perhaps he was just distracted or is there more to this than meets the eye? How will you assess this patient and decide on the best course of action?

CPD Benefit

Convulsions occur when there is abnormal electrical activity in the brain and epileptic seizures are one of the most common serious neurological conditions. This article outlines epileptic classifications and management strategies. It will help you to carry out a detailed assessment taking account of what has happened prior to the seizure, including the preceding events, any illness, fever, or serious past medical history. It will also enable you to use guidelines effectively and sensitively to decide on the appropriate course of action for the patient.

Assessment Answers and References

You can check your answers to the quiz and download the references for this article by clicking the links below:

Standby CPD – Vol. 8 No. 5 – References

Standby CPD Volume 8 – Assessment Answers