Guidelines on the management of prolonged acute convulsive seizures in out-of-hospital settings : a gap to be filled

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Prolonged acute convulsive seizures require immediate treatment with benzodiazepines in order to prevent their progression to status epilepticus. Most seizures occur outside of the hospital, thus practical guidance is needed for non-medically trained caregivers who wish to administer rescue medication in out-of-hospital settings. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether existing clinical guidelines on the management of prolonged acute convulsive seizures in children contain such guidance. [excerpt]