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Out-of-Hospital Seizures in Children: A Population-Based Study

Heli Salmi, Jelena Oulasvirta1, Eero Rahiala2

  • 1Division of Anaesthesiology, Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine.

Pediatric Emergency Care
|January 25, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric seizures are common reasons for emergency care, but most cases do not require advanced treatment and have a good prognosis. Emergency medical services play a key role in managing these pediatric seizure cases.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Neurology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Seizures are a frequent reason for pediatric emergency medical (EM) and emergency room (ER) contacts.
  • Limited population-based data exist on pediatric seizures requiring out-of-hospital care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the incidence of pediatric seizures requiring out-of-hospital care.
  • To analyze prehospital and ER treatment, diagnostics, and 2-year prognosis of pediatric seizures.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based study was conducted in Helsinki, Finland, in 2012.
  • Included all pediatric (0-16 years) seizures encountered by emergency medical services (EMS).
  • Data collected on out-of-hospital evaluation, ER treatment, diagnostics, and prognosis for 251 EMS-encountered patients (220 seen in ER).

Main Results:

  • The incidence of pediatric seizures requiring EMS activation was 2.8 per 1000 children.
  • Febrile seizures accounted for 44.1% of cases transported to the ER.
  • Most patients did not require advanced life support or complex ER diagnostics; 30.9% were hospitalized, and 48.2% had follow-up scheduled.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric seizures are a common reason for emergency contacts, demanding significant resources.
  • Advanced life support measures are rarely needed, and the prognosis is generally good.
  • EMS are crucial for recognizing, managing, and referring pediatric seizure patients for appropriate care.
Abstract

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