Question

What are the preventive measures and emergency treatments for fever seizures?

Answer

To prevent recurrence, some cases are recommended to take medication long-term, regardless of whether there is a fever, daily. However, the incidence of fever seizures is high, and cases with serious sequelae are only a small fraction, so not all patients need to take medication long-term, which may cause unnecessary burden, and phenobarbital may also cause drowsiness, excitability, hyperactivity, etc. as side effects. The following long-term medication indications have been proposed:

  1. Complex febrile seizures.
  2. Cases with risk factors after the second episode. Long-term medications can include phenobarbital, phenytoin, sodium valproate, or carbamazepine. Family emergency treatment steps include:
  3. During the seizure: (1) Acupressure or thumb pressure: Hiccup Point, Heavenly Palace, Hegu, Shenmen. (2) Active cooling, ventilation and warmth while loosening clothing and using alcohol or warm water to wipe the skin (neck side, armpit, groin). (3) Loosen the collar and keep the respiratory tract open. Side lying position to prevent vomit and secretions from entering the lungs. If the child’s teeth have not yet clenched shut, a handkerchief or cloth can be folded into a strip or wrapped around the handle of a spoon and placed between the upper and lower teeth to prevent biting the tongue. (4) Take antipyretic medication