Seizures are an uncontrolled condition that electrical activity in the brain produces convulsion. These convulsions may be minor physical signs, disturbances, and or a combination of symptoms together. Seizures can be caused by head injuries, tumors in the brain, poisoning of lead, the brain has some sort of maldevelopement, found in genes, infections, fever, or illnesses. The types of symptoms and the type of seizure found in a person depends on where the abnormality in the electrical activity takes part in the brain, what is the cause to it and factor in the patient.
Whether it may be that the patients state of health and the patients age. Well as you may know there are many different types of seizures. TypeDurationSeizure SymptomsPostictal (post-seizure) Symptoms Absence (petit mal seizure)2 to 30 secondsStare Eyes fluttering Automatisms (such as lip smacking, picking at clothes, fumbling) if prolongedAmnesia for seizure events No confusion Promptly resumes activity Generalized Tonic-Clonic (grand mal)1 to 2 minutesA cry Fall Tonicity (rigidity) Clonicity (jerking) May have cyanosisAmnesia for seizure events
Confusion Absence or petit mal seizures are when there are tiny convulsions of the brain that the brains nerve cells communicate with one another and they fire tiny electrical signals. It causes to lose consciousness that is just about 30 seconds or less and you really don’t notice it. It’s like it barely happened. A person suffering from absence seizures just simply will stop speaking or moving they will be spaced out and stare blankly straight ahead and if a question is asked they simply won’t answer the question.
Absence seizures in a child are just that the child is simply unaware of what is happening. The child may blink and may stop whatever they are doing and stare straight ahead or they may also have some sort of twitch in their arm or leg. After it’s done they go back to their previous activity. Treatment to this type of seizure as a first responder may be to do nothing but to take them to a physician and have the physician make sure that it’s a absence seizure so that they can prescribe the proper treatment which can be euthosuximide( zarontin),lamactical or valproic acid medications.
Generalized Tonic-Clonic (grand mal) seizures are when it not only involves the brain but it involves the entire body and loss of consciousness involving muscle contractions. These epilepsy’s occur to anyone no matter what age and they happen in either in a single episode or can happen repeatedly. Some symptoms that many patients have before the seizure is that they have many changes in their vision, smell, taste, they also may have hallucinations or may be dizzy. Also they bite the cheek or the tongue also can have blue skin color and muscle rigidly.
Might have stopped breathing or may have difficulty breathing during the seizure. As a first responder presenting to a person suffering from this type of seizure you place patient on their left side transport as soon as possible and make sure you have done a good patient assessment. Learning from the marathon firefighters and from all the instructors that took time to come teach at City of Hialeah Educational Academy was awesome and thank you for coming and your time and dedication to us. Thank you from group #3 ¦O¦.