Emergency Aid

Should you call the rescue squad if a child has a seizure in which he falls and shakes?

Yes, if the parents have asked you to call.

No, if the seizure ends without any problems and the child is back to normal afterwards.

The average seizure in a child who has epilepsy is not a medical emergency. It ends naturally by itself. But every rule has an exception or two, and that's true of epilepsy as well.

There are a few times, fortunately quite rare, when you should call for emergency medical assistance.

• When a seizure doesn't show any signs of stopping after five minutes.
• When the seizure happened in water and there's any chance that the child inhaled or swallowed a lot of water.
• When a child doesn't come round or isn't breathing properly afterwards.
• When a child vomits during the seizure and then doesn't come round or isn't breathing properly afterwards.
• When another seizure starts soon after the first one.
• When an unexpected seizure happens in a child who does not have epilepsy.

If a child has prolonged seizures (longer than 5 minutes) or has clusters of seizures, the doctor may have prescribed some special medicine that can be given. However, that is something that the parents will discuss with you, and you will need training in how to apply it.