Person who has a seizure

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I'm curious as to how you would answer this. I was in disagreement with The Red Cross when they taught this. I really had no business taking a CPR course from them since I was a nurse and my reactions would be different....but consider this scenerio and tell me what you would do....

You're walking through the mall. Everyone's rushing around you trying to get their Holiday shopping done and you hear someone calling for help. In the middle of the floor is a 54 year old man who is having what appears to be a grand mal seizure. What first aid would you render? After rendering this first aid, would you call 9-1-1? Why or why not?

Specializes in Psych.
Given the totality of the responses favoring calling 911, I am going to modify any future responses on my part. If I am in such a situation, I would now likely call 911 if I am dealing with a stranger.

The people I based my earlier information on are known individuals, and the company policy is , as stated earlier, don't call if less than 3 minutes. However, in a stranger situation, yes, it makes sense to err on the side of caution.

Thanks to all who have set me straight, I appreciate it

That's right, ArizonaMark, always, always, CYA (Or to put it another way, err on the side of caution).

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My son used to have seizures and the pediatrician told me to give two rescue breaths to break the seizure. Doc actually did this when son seized in the office one day.

The nostril trick doesn't stop a seizure, it just gets them breathing again. I've only used it a handful of times, usually breathing isn't an issue. But when it was I was pretty shocked at how well (and fast) it worked.

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Woot! We agree on something . . and we share a disorder. :)

steph

I haven't suffered a grand mal in 15 years, knock wood.

Grannynurse:balloons:

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I haven't suffered a grand mal in 15 years, knock wood.

Grannynurse:balloons:

It will be two years on New Year's Day 2006. Knock wood. :)

steph

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Hey to Steph and Grannynurse,

I too share your disorder, and agree, if it's me...call 911! But did your neurologists give you Diastat (Valium in gel form) to carry with you? My last seizure was in June, so I now carry around pr Valium.

So to all out there, if you encounter a patient in a mall, having a grand mal seizure...have someone call 911, place in a side-lying position, protect from injury, time the seizure, and then ask the family member (if available) if they have their Diastat available. The family member can administer it, and has probably been instructed to do so in case of seizure.

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It will be two years on New Year's Day 2006. Knock wood. :)

steph

I too, have a historyof grand mal seizures, and (keep knocking!) it will be 12 years in February, for me. Still on daily meds though and my EEGs are such that my neurologist feels I can't come off them yet :(

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I'm a medic. If you see someone having a seizure SOMEONE needs to call 911.Place them in the RT lateral position and protect them from injury. Never stick anything in their mouth. CPR? I thought this was a seizure? lol. Moniter their duration, get any med HX if available and it would even be nice to have someone cover them around their waist/buttocks to give them privacy from any "accidents" In my exp most of the time the PT. goes through their seiz,wets/defacates...we arrive and find them postictal and transport.We get an IV/o2/moniter going. Most of the time its due to an adjustment needed in their medication. However, when someone seizes they may become hypoxic and if their med HX is unknown they need to be evaluated regardless. I picked up a 42 y/o male who never had a seizure in his life. The family was going crazy they were so scared. It turned out he had a brain tumor.

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Hey to Steph and Grannynurse,

I too share your disorder, and agree, if it's me...call 911! But did your neurologists give you Diastat (Valium in gel form) to carry with you? My last seizure was in June, so I now carry around pr Valium.

So to all out there, if you encounter a patient in a mall, having a grand mal seizure...have someone call 911, place in a side-lying position, protect from injury, time the seizure, and then ask the family member (if available) if they have their Diastat available. The family member can administer it, and has probably been instructed to do so in case of seizure.

No, my neurologist has not.

Grannynurse

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I'm a medic. If you see someone having a seizure SOMEONE needs to call 911.Place them in the RT lateral position and protect them from injury. Never stick anything in their mouth. CPR? I thought this was a seizure? lol. Moniter their duration, get any med HX if available and it would even be nice to have someone cover them around their waist/buttocks to give them privacy from any "accidents" In my exp most of the time the PT. goes through their seiz,wets/defacates...we arrive and find them postictal and transport.We get an IV/o2/moniter going. Most of the time its due to an adjustment needed in their medication. However, when someone seizes they may become hypoxic and if their med HX is unknown they need to be evaluated regardless. I picked up a 42 y/o male who never had a seizure in his life. The family was going crazy they were so scared. It turned out he had a brain tumor.

Hi, I have always called 911 when I encounter someone with a medical emergency. And I hope that someone does the same for me. You are correct in your instructions. I have never seen anyone arrest from experiencing a grand mal. I'm not saying it is impossible but I've never seen it.

Grannynurse

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Specializes in Transplant, homecare, hospice.
First, place the man in a side-lying position. Cradle his head so he doesn't bang it against the floor. Then you, or someone nearby time the duration of his seizure. If it lasts for more than 3 minutes, yes call 911. Less than 3 minutes is considered not significant for persons prone to seizures.

I take care of seizure-prone individuals, and these are the baseline parameters we go by to determine whether or not to call 911.

I could imagine the seizure times may vary according to policy.............

Mark

Okay....That's exactly what the RED CROSS said to do too....if less than 3 minutes, don't call 9-1-1. But that's all the instructor said....not if the person is epilectic...would have helped some....I think the class was taught too fast and a lot of details were left out. Thanks.

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Specializes in Transplant, homecare, hospice.
I think it would always be appropriate to call 911 if it was a person you didn't know from Adam, regardless of the duration of the seizure...after all, you don't know if the person is a "seasoned" seizure victim or if it's the first time he'd had one. However, your question was whether to call 911 AFTER aid was rendered, correct? Hmmm...

Personally, I would have another party call 911 and then place/try to hold the victim in rescue position until the medics arrived.

What was the RC instructor's take on the question?

That was exactly what I thought when I was taking the CPR class...who knows who this person is...call anyway...I'm not versed on seizures and as a nurse have only seen one or two of them in a hospital setting...I know what first aid to render, but out in the public, I would feel not-so-comfy...NOT calling 9-1-1.

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Specializes in CNA/ ALF & Hospital.
First, place the man in a side-lying position. Cradle his head so he doesn't bang it against the floor. Then you, or someone nearby time the duration of his seizure. If it lasts for more than 3 minutes, yes call 911. Less than 3 minutes is considered not significant for persons prone to seizures.

I take care of seizure-prone individuals, and these are the baseline parameters we go by to determine whether or not to call 911.

I could imagine the seizure times may vary according to policy.............

Mark

Iwas about to say the same thing but, you beat me to it. I should know because I've suffered from seizures. My first episode happened when I was 3 & 1/2.

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