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Seizures

Seizure Treatment for Children in the ER

Witnessing a seizure in a baby or child is a scary experience, especially for parents and caregivers. Knowing where to go for help is vital. Prestige ER provides rapid, excellent pediatric seizure treatment, along with care for a wide range of childhood illnesses and medical conditions.

We understand that being equipped with the information you need as a parent or caregiver is important. Let’s explore what seizures are, their symptoms, their possible causes, and their treatment.

If your child has a seizure that is more than 5 minutes long or has two seizures that are less than 5 minutes apart, call 911 right away.

What Are Seizures in Children?

As in adults, seizures in children simply involve irregular, abnormal electrical activity in one or more areas of the brain. The seizure may affect their level of consciousness and muscle activity, resulting in visible symptoms.

Signs and Symptoms of Pediatric Seizures

Symptoms of seizures in children and babies depend on the type of seizure but may include:

  • Jerking.
  • Stiffening of their body.
  • Confusion.
  • Unresponsiveness.
  • Loss of consciousness.
  • Staring.
  • Rapid eye blinking or unusual eye movements.
  • Pauses in breathing.
  • Rhythmic nodding of their head.

If your child has a seizure, make sure they are in a safe area and safe from falling. Do not put anything in their mouth or try to restrain their movements. Turn their head to the side if they vomit.

Types of Pediatric Seizures

Seizures in babies and children are broadly divided into two categories: focal and generalized.

Focal Seizures

These seizures involve an area or multiple areas on one side of the brain only. Your child may experience an aura, a sign that this type of seizure is about to happen. This may include unusual smells or changes in their vision or hearing. There are two main types of focal seizures:

  • Simple Focal. Your child typically remains conscious during this type of seizure. They may experience muscle activity in one or more specific muscle groups. You may notice nausea and sweating.
  • Complex Focal. This seizure often happens in the temporal lobe, the part of the brain that involves memory and emotion. Symptoms may include a loss of consciousness, crying, laughing, screaming, gagging, or other unusual behaviors.

Generalized Seizures

These seizures involve both sides of the brain. Children will typically lose consciousness during the seizure and experience a postictal state afterward, which is characterized by exhaustion. There are several types of generalized seizures:

  • Generalized Tonic-Clonic (Grand Mal). This seizure often involves a child’s body and limbs contracting, extending, and twitching. There may be alternating flexion and relaxation of the muscles, followed by a postictal period.
  • Myoclonic. These seizures include quick, rapid jerking or other movements of a muscle group. They may happen a few times a day or for several days.
  • Atonic. During this seizure, a child loses muscle tone suddenly and drops to the floor. They are typically unconscious during the seizure.
  • Absence (Petit Mal). These short seizures are marked by an “absence” where a child may stare and be unresponsive. They will typically stay in the same position and may experience eye twitching, blinking, or facial movements. Absence seizures may happen several times a day.

Febrile Seizures

This distinct type of seizure is simply caused by a fever, may run in families, and typically affects children from 5 months to 5 years old. Febrile seizures are relatively common. Symptoms may include mild muscle contractions or more severe convulsions.

Causes of Seizures in Children

Though it is often difficult to pinpoint the cause of a seizure in a baby or a child, possible causes of pediatric seizures include:

  • Hereditary conditions.
  • Medications.
  • Poisoning.
  • Fevers or infections.
  • Brain tumors.
  • Stroke.
  • Chemical imbalances in the brain.
  • Metabolic issues in the body.
  • Drugs or alcohol.
  • Trauma during birth.
  • Head injuries.

Diagnosis of Seizures in Children

As a parent or caregiver, you have a valuable role in helping your child’s provider reach a diagnosis in order to find the best pediatric fever treatment. Try to prepare detailed information about the seizure or seizures, including:

  • How long it lasted.
  • What part or parts of the body were involved.
  • What type of movements you observed.
  • Whether your child was alert, unresponsive, or unconscious during the seizure.
  • Any possible triggers that preceded the seizure.
  • Any auras your child noticed before a seizure.

The process of diagnosing seizures may also include:

  • Blood Tests. Certain lab results may help a provider evaluate the possible causes of a seizure.
  • Imaging Tests. CT scans and MRIs can provide detailed images of a child’s brain tissue and structures to help reach a diagnosis.
  • Lumbar Puncture. Testing a sample of cerebrospinal fluid can provide information and help rule out certain infections that may cause seizures.
  • Electroencephalogram (EEG). These tests can detect seizures by measuring electrical activity within the brain via wires attached to the scalp.

Pediatric Seizure Treatment in the ER

Don’t hesitate to bring your child to the ER to be seen by a provider. The emergency room is an excellent choice for the treatment of seizures in a baby or child.

Providers will discuss your child’s symptoms, medical history, and the details of their seizures. If a seizure happens in the hospital, IV medication can be given to treat it. Treatment will depend on the type of seizure. Febrile seizures, for example, are typically benign and may not require testing or treatments that may be involved with other seizure types.

Your child’s provider may order diagnostic testing to determine the likely cause of their seizures, along with appropriate medication to control and prevent seizure activity.

Preventing Seizures in Babies and Children

Medication tends to be a mainstay of managing pediatric seizures. Your child’s provider will work to find the medication regimen that best controls your child’s symptoms. Ensuring your child takes their seizure medication as ordered can help prevent recurrent seizures. Your child may need to follow a specific diet to help control their seizures.

Certain things may predispose a child to having seizures or trigger seizure activity, including lack of sleep. Ensuring your child is well-rested can help with seizure prevention. Reducing known triggers may help to minimize or prevent seizures.

If your child has seizures, ensure daycare providers, caregivers, and school staff are aware of the situation and that a safety plan is in place.

Pediatric Seizure Treatment at Prestige ER

If your child is experiencing seizures, the caring clinicians at Prestige Emergency Room are trained and equipped to provide the care they need. With extensive onsite resources and diagnostic tools, each of our San Antonio locations is ready to handle a wide range of pediatric emergencies.

For top-tier pediatric care when you need it, visit us at Prestige ER.