Management of seizures in children in primary health care

Abstract

Sudden health states accompanied by seizures require proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment. A seizure in the paediatric population may turn into a life-threatening condition, especially when it is misdiagnosed and appropriate management is initiated too late. The article presents the classification of seizures proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy and seizure time intervals when appropriate treatment should be implemented. The main part of this work is the description of non-pharmacological treatment. In this paper, the management of seizures in the paediatric population was based on the guidelines proposed by several recognised organisations. The American Epilepsy Foundation is one of the bodies publishing guidelines for the management of seizures in the paediatric population. This organisation recommends treatment based on the STAY-SAFE-SIDE strategy. According to these guidelines, the patient should not be left alone, all objects that may injure the patient during the seizure should be moved away, and the patient should be placed on their side. An important element of these activities is also recording seizure duration, which is associated with appropriate pharmacological treatment. Pharmacological management of seizures is based on benzodiazepines. The type of drug, dosage and route of administration are described in detail. The article also mentions guidelines explaining in which cases it is advisable to continue diagnosis and treatment in an Emergency Department setting, and which cases require calling the Emergency Medical Services.