Flashcards
Seizures / Epilepsy
Cards in this deck (16)
- 1List first aid management- protect patient from injury
- place on side as soon as possible
- manage injuries resulting from seizure
- do not disturb if patient falls asleep
- continue to monitor breathing - 2When should you seek medical aid?- if the seizure continues for more than 5 minutes
- another seizure quickly follows
- the person has been injured
- the person has diabetes or is pregnant - 3What is epilepsy?A disorder of the brain characterised by a tendency to have recurrent seizures and is defined by 2 or more unprovoked seizures
- 4What causes a seizure to happen?Brain cells (neurons) 'fire' or send electrical impulses towards surrounding cells, stimulating neighbouring cells to fire at one time. This causes an 'electrical storm' within the brain, resulting in fits.
- 5How are the clinical signs of seizures determined?- sometimes seizures involve the whole brain and sometimes only part of the brain
- the clinical signs of seizures will therefore vary and depend on where in the brain the seizure first starts, and how far it spreads - 6Are all seizures epilepsy?No - some seizures are provoked by events such as head injury or high fever
- 7List the types of seizures1. Tonic-clonic
2. Absence
3. Complex partial
4. Simple partial - 8First aid management for tonic-clonic seizuresDuring seizure:
- protect from injury
- place something soft under head and shoulders
- record duration of seizure
After seizure:
- keep airway clear by placing patient on side in recovery position as soon as jerking stops, or immediately if they have vomited or have food or fluid in their mouth
- manage any injuries resulting from seizure - 9Generalized seizures: 1. What part of the brain is affected? 2. List signs / symptoms1. The whole brain
2.
- collapse
- unresponsive
- unconscious
- muscle spasms
- jerking movements
- noisy breathing
- wet / soil themselves - 10List the types of non-convulsive seizures- absence
- complex partial
- simple partial - 11Absence seizures: 1. What happens in this type of seizure? 2. Who does it mainly occur in? 3. What can it be mistaken for? 4. List signs / symptoms 5. How long does the seizure typically last for?1. Non-convulsive event where the person loses awareness for a brief period
2. Children
3. Daydreaming / lack of concentration
4.
- vacant staring
- eye rolling
- eye blinking
- eyelid flicker
5. Up to 30 seconds - 12Tonic-clonic seizures: 1. List phases of seizure 2. What part of brain does it involve? 3. Does person stay conscious? 4. How long do they generally last?1.
- Tonic phase - Body stiffens
- Clonic phase - General muscle jerking
2. Whole brain
3. No - they lose consciousness
4. Up to 3 minutes - 13What part of brain is affected in partial seizures?One part of brain is affected
- 14What is a complex partial seizure accompanied by?- impaired consciousness
- staring
- automatic behaviour such as chewing, mumbling, walking, grunting - 15What happens in a simple partial seizure?- produces a sudden shock-like jolt to one or more muscles which increases muscle tone and causes movement
- these sudden jerks are like those that occur in healthy people as they fall asleep - 16If a casualty has a seizure while seated in a wheelchair, car or stroller, what should you do?Support their head and leave them safely strapped in the seat until seizure is finished
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- First Aid Conditions Flashcards on Seizures / Epilepsy, created by Emily Dening on 28/11/2017.
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- Emily Dening
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