Hello, my name is Chip, and I'm a paramedic instructor for the state of North Carolina. I'm here today to talk a little bit about how to recognize a seizure. When you hear the word seizure most people think full body shaking back and forth, or chronic type activity as it's called, which, when you see that it can be full true shaking of the body. You can also have partial seizure activity. It might be just one extremity or one side of the body has more of a mild shaking or even a vigorous shaking type activity. Also, a more discreet form of seizure, often found in children, as well as adults is just the eyeballs. Actually, if you open the eyelid you'll see just the eyeball just jerking back and forth slightly, which is also seizure activity as well. Some of the more common causes of seizures in kids and infants, especially young, young kids is fevers. Kids get colds and they get infections and things, especially as they grow up, and when that happens their body gets very hot. When their body gets too hot the body responds by having a seizure. Pretty much, the brain is irritated from the fever itself and that causes the body to shake and have a seizure. Treatment for that is try to cool the child down. Washcloths, towels; get them wet, and not very cold but cool water, and you can actually lay them on the child or the infant. Cool them down the best you can. You don't want to get them too cold though, because that can cause another problem as well. However, typically, seizures in kids, from fevers, very, very quick to resolve, and, typically, not life threatening. If the seizure activity continues, usually it's fifteen, thirty seconds it should stop, then you definitely want to consider calling 9-1-1.Once it's over, you should call 9-1-1 or call your physician to find out if there's something else you need to do. And that was basic identification and treatment of seizures.
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