The brain has millions of nerve cells (or neurones) which control the way we think, move and feel. The nerve cells do this by passing electrical signals to each other. If these signals are disrupted, or too many signals are sent at once, this causes a seizure (sometimes called a 'fit' or 'attack'). A seizure is an abnormal paroxysmal discharge of cerebral neurons which manifest as changes in motor, sensory, behavioral or autonomic function.
This electrical discharge from a group of nerve cells in the brain typically is:
The seizure may lead to:
A seizure is a sign of an underlying disorder; there are two types:
A seizure may have several aetiologies:
There are three main phases to a seizure:
Approx 33% of people have focal seizures which affects only one portion of the brain. Often subtle and unusual, focal seizures can be mistaken for intoxication and daydreaming
Tonic-clonic, absent or atonic seizure (an altered conscious state with a vacant stare).
Typical presentation:
Side-effects (common and uncommon):
The process of having a seizure is exhausting as your muscles uncontrollably contract and relax multiple times and your brain is in over drive. The end to a seizure represents a transition from the seizure back to the individual’s normal state, typically characterized by a deep sleep with gradual recovery. It may last from seconds to minutes to hours, depending on several factors including which part(s) of the brain were affected by the seizure and whether the individual was on anti-seizure medication. If a person has a complex partial seizure or a convulsion, their level of awareness gradually improves during the post-ictal period, much like a person waking up from anesthesia. Encouraging the patient to relax and providing reassurance is the most important part of caring for a post-ictal patient.
Convulsive status epilepticus is defined as any seizure activity that meets any of these three critiera;
A status epilepticus can occur in both partial and non–convulsive seizures and may lead to:
Life in the Fast Lane. (2022). Status Epilepticus. https://litfl.com/status-epilepticus/. Accessed January 2023.
Default Author St John WA |
St John Ambulance Western Australia Ltd (ABN 55 028 468 715) (St John WA) operates ambulance and other pre-hospital clinical services. St John WA’s Clinical Resources, including its Clinical Practice Guidelines (Clinical Resources), are intended for use by credentialed St John WA staff and volunteers when providing clinical care to patients for or on behalf of St John WA, within the St John WA Clinical Governance Framework, and only to the extent of the clinician’s authority to practice.
The content of the St John WA Clinical Resources is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to serve as health, medical or treatment advice. Any user of this website agrees to be bound by these Terms of Use in their use of the Clinical Resources.
St John WA does not represent or warrant (whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise) that the content of the Clinical Resources is accurate, reliable, up-to-date, complete or that the information contained is suitable for your needs or for any particular purpose. You are responsible for assessing whether the information is accurate, reliable, up-to-date, authentic, relevant, or complete and where appropriate, seek independent professional advice.
St John WA expressly prohibits use of these Clinical Resources to guide clinical care of patients by organisations external to St John WA, except where these organisations have been directly engaged by St John WA to provide services. Any use of the Clinical Resources, with St John WA approval, must attribute St John WA as the creator of the Clinical Resources and include the copyright notice and (where reasonably practicable) provide a URL/hyperlink to the St John WA Clinical Resources website.
No permission or licence is granted to reproduce, make commercial use of, adapt, modify or create derivative works from these Clinical Resources. For permissions beyond the scope of these Terms of Use, including a commercial licence, please contact medservices@stjohnambulance.com.au
Where links are provided to resources on external websites, St John WA:
Your use of any external website is governed by the terms of that website, including any authorisation, requirement or licence for use of the material on that website.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, St John WA excludes liability (including liability in negligence) for any direct, special, indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive, exemplary or other loss, cost, damage or expense arising out of, or in connection with, use or reliance on the Clinical Resources (including without limitation any interference with or damage to a user’s computer, device, software or data occurring in connection with such use).
Please read this cookie policy carefully before using Clinical Resources from St John WA.
The cookies used on this site are small and completely anonymous pieces of information and are stored on your computer or mobile device. The data that the cookies contain identify your user preferences (such as your preferred text size, scope / skill level preference and Colour Assist mode, among other user settings) so that they can be recalled the next time that you visit a page within Clinical Resources. These cookies are necessary to offer you the best and most efficient possible experience when accessing and navigating through our website and using its features. These cookies do not collect or send analytical information back to St John WA.
Clinical Resources does integrate with Google Analytics and any cookies associated with this service enable us (and third-party services) to collect aggregated data for statistical purposes on how our visitors use this website. These cookies do not contain personal information such as names and email addresses and are used to help us improve your user experience of the website.
If you want to restrict or block the cookies that are set by our website, you can do so through your browser setting. Alternatively, you can visit www.internetcookies.com, which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of browsers and devices. You will find general information about cookies and details on how to delete cookies from your device. If you have any questions about this policy or our use of cookies, please contact us.