Management of febrile convulsion in children

The causes of febrile convulsions are usually benign. Such convulsions are common in children and their long-term consequences are rare. However, other causes of seizures, such as intracranial infections, must be excluded before diagnosis, especially in infants and younger children. Diagnosis is bas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEmergency nurse Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 18 - 25
Main Authors Paul, Siba Prosad, Rogers, Eleanor, Wilkinson, Rachel, Paul, Biswajit
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England RCN Publishing Company Limited 01.05.2015
RCNi
Subjects
Child
Child, Preschool
Diagnosis, Differential
Emergency Nursing
Emergency Service, Hospital
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Medical History Taking
Nursing
Nursing Assessment
Recurrence
Risk Factors
Seizures, Febrile - diagnosis
Seizures, Febrile - etiology
Seizures, Febrile - nursing
Seizures, Febrile - physiopathology
United Kingdom > UK
epilepsy
fever
seizures
Children
febrile convulsions
high temperature
paediatric
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Summary:The causes of febrile convulsions are usually benign. Such convulsions are common in children and their long-term consequences are rare. However, other causes of seizures, such as intracranial infections, must be excluded before diagnosis, especially in infants and younger children. Diagnosis is based mainly on history taking, and further investigations into the condition are not generally needed in fully immunised children presenting with simple febrile convulsions. Treatment involves symptom control and treating the cause of the fever. Nevertheless, febrile convulsions in children can be distressing for parents, who should be supported and kept informed by experienced emergency department (ED) nurses. This article discusses the aetiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of children with febrile convulsion, and best practice for care in EDs. It also includes a reflective case study to highlight the challenges faced by healthcare professionals who manage children who present with febrile convulsion.
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ISSN:1354-5752
2047-8984
DOI:10.7748/en.23.2.18.e1431