Is it normal to stop breathing during a seizure?

During the tonic phase of the seizure, they may temporarily stop breathing and their face may become dusky or blue, especially around the mouth. This period is usually brief (usually no more than 30 to 45 seconds) and does not require CPR.

What type of seizure causes you to stop breathing?

Tonic-clonic seizures, formerly known as grand mal seizures, comprise two stages: a tonic phase and a clonic phase. These intense seizures can be frightening to experience or observe, as extreme muscle spasms may temporarily arrest breathing.

Do you give CPR to someone having a seizure?

A person having a seizure cannot swallow his or her tongue. Do not try to give mouth-to-mouth breaths (like CPR). People usually start breathing again on their own after a seizure. Do not offer the person water or food until he or she is fully alert.

Can you suffocate during a seizure?

A seizure may cause a person to have pauses in breathing (apnea). If these pauses last too long, they can reduce the oxygen in the blood to a life-threatening level. In addition, during a convulsive seizure a person’s airway sometimes may get covered or obstructed, leading to suffocation.

Can your heart stop during a seizure?

The electrical activity in the brain during a seizure can also change our pulse and usually causes an increase in heart rate. However, during some seizures, the heart can slow or even stop temporarily, which is referred to as ictal asystole.

Can seizures cause respiratory failure?

Generalized seizures can cause many forms of respiratory compromise, including respiratory arrest, respiratory depression and loss of upper airway reflexes.

Can a seizure cause death?

The short answer is yes, but while possible, death from epilepsy is also rare. When you hear of someone dying from a seizure, you might assume the person fell and hit their head. This can happen. SUDEP, however, isn’t caused by injury or drowning.

How long can a person be unresponsive after a seizure?

However, why focal temporal lobe seizures should so often cause impaired consciousness is more puzzling. During temporal lobe seizures, patients are typically unresponsive to questions and commands for 1 to 2 minutes, and then remain confused for a variable period of time postictally.

What should nurse do during seizure?

The nurse must stay with the patient and call for help. It is important to time the seizure and note its characteristics. Protection must be given to the patient’s head, especially with any convulsive movements occurring that may injure the patient.

Does your brain get oxygen during a seizure?

Drops in blood oxygenation are not rare during epileptic seizures. They have been documented using digital pulse oximetry (which measures oxygenation from either a finger or toe) in 25 to 33% of seizures in both adults and children.

What do paramedics do when someone has a seizure?

Paramedics often have medications that can stop seizures, but the best way to give the medicines is not known. Paramedics often give medicine directly into a vein, which is called intravenous (IV) administration. This works well, but can be hard to do in a person who is seizing.

What happens to the body during a seizure?

You may have tremors (shaking movements), twitching or jerking movements that you can’t control. This could happen on one or both sides of your face, arms, legs or your whole body. It could start in one area and then spread to other areas, or it could stay in one place.

What are your priorities while the patient is having a seizure?

The priorities when caring for a patient who is seizing are to maintain a patent airway, protect the patient from injury, provide care during and following the seizure and documenting the event in the health record.

What should the nurse do to prevent a patient from aspirating during a seizure?

In the hospital setting, padded bed rails are often used to protect patients from harm during a seizure. Next, you should turn the patient on their side to prevent them from choking or aspirating on their saliva. If suction is available, it can be used in addition to turning the patient on their side.