Acute Seizure Management in Children

Seizures can be terrifying for families, bringing many to their doctor's office following a first-time incident at home or a trip to the ED.

Primary care physicians (PCPs) should be ready to evaluate the type of seizure the child had, perform a detailed neurological exam and decide whether to order any testing. While a focal onset seizure indicates risk, a first-time, generalized seizure in children often indicates a low risk of recurrence and may not need further treatment.

Listen to our pediatric neurology expert discuss seizure management in children

Another aspect of the PCP's role in seizure management is easing the family's anxieties. They may order a non-emergent EEG, discuss seizure safety and prescribe rescue medication in case another seizure occurs.

PCPs should also plan to communicate with specialists about any questions, concerns and tests. In this episode, Amy Brooks-Kayal, MD, discusses acute seizure management, including the importance of a detailed history and options for anti-seizure and rescue medications.

In today's episode, we discuss:

• Responding to a patient's first seizure
• The importance of getting a detailed history of the seizure event
• Identifying any provocations of the seizure
• Neurological examination
• Generalized seizure versus focal onset/partial seizure in children
• Chances of seizure recurrence
• Anti-seizure and rescue medications
• Managing the anxiety of families
• Basic seizure safety
• Current research into pediatric epilepsy

Seizure management at Children's Colorado

At Children's Colorado, we see children experiencing seizures at our Pediatric Neurology Program for consultation, diagnosis and treatment. Our care team is nationally recognized for its management of seizure disorders and other neurological conditions.