Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Seizures
- What is a
seizure?
- Caused by abnormal or
uncontrolled neuronal
discharges that can stay in
one area or spread to other
areas of the brain
- Convulsion refers to
the involuntary,
violent spasms of the
large skeletal muscles
- Not all
seizures
have
convulsions
- Triggers include
strobe/flickering lights
or the occurrence of
small fluid &
electrolyte imbalances.
- Occurs more
often when pt. is
sleep deprived
- Known
causes:
- Neoplastic
disease
- Tumors, especially rapidly growing ones,
occupy space and increase intracranial pressure
- Pediatric disorders
- Rapid increases in body temp causing febrile seizures
- Vascular
disease
- Changes in oxygenation caused by respiratory
hypoxia or CO poisoning
- Changes in perfusion caused by things
like hypertension, stroke, shock, and
cardiac dysrhythmia
- Metabolic disorders causing
hypoglycemia, hyponatremia,
and water intoxication
- Trauma
- Infectious disease, such as
meningitis and
encephalitis
- Effects on
life
- Antiseizure drugs decrease
effectiveness of birth
control
- Moat antiseizure drugs
are pregnancy category D
- Eclampsia is severe pregnancy
hypertension. Some women will
have seizures within 72 hours
after delivery
- Nagnesium sulfate, for
whatever reason,
treats eclamptic
seizures
- Epileptics cannot
drive.
- Seizures can limit participation
in school, employment, and
social activity.
- Chronic depression can result
- Nursing care includes identifying at risk
patients, documenting pattern and type of
seizure, and implementing safety precautions
- Types
- Determining cause of recurrent
seizures is important for
appropriate drug selection
- Partial
- Simple
- Hallucinations; intense emotion; twitching of arms, legs, and
fingers
- Complex
- Aura before seizure' confusion or sleepiness after seizure;
attempting to remove clothes; not responding to verbal
commands
- Generalized
- Absence (petit mal)
- Lasts a few secs; starting into space
and not responding to commands
- Seen most often
in children
- May be
misdiagnosed as
ADHD or
daydreaming
- Atonic (drop attacks)
- Falling/stumbling for no reason; lasts
a couple secs
- Tonic-clonic (grand mal)
- Preceding aura
- Intense muscle contraction (tonic phase), followed
by alternating contraction and relaxation (clonic
phase)
- Crying at beginning; loss of bowel/bladder control;
shallow breathing w/periods of apnea
- 1-2
minutes
- Disorientation & deep sleep after
seizure
- Special
- Febrile
- Tonic-conic activity lasting 1-2
min; rapid return to
consciousness.
- Mostly in children btwn
3 months & 5 yrs old
- Myoclonic
- Large jerking movement of major
muscle group; falling from sitting or
dropping object being held
- Status
epilepticus
- Continuous seizure
activity that can lead to
coma & death
- Medical
emergency