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First Aid for Seizures: What to Do And Not to Do

By Dr. Kamal Palta in Emergency & Trauma

Mar 07 , 2022 | 1 min read

Medical emergencies come anytime, anywhere. The time between emergency situations & the arrival of medical help is critical. The key begins with staying calm & giving first-aid before help arrives. There are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind while managing a case of seizure.

Seizures: What is it?

A seizure is an abnormal electrical activity in the brain caused by reasons like epilepsy, head injury, low blood sugar, heat stroke, poisoning or sudden cardiac arrest.

How to Recognise Seizures?

Signs of seizure differ, like sudden loss of muscle control, jerky movements of arms, legs and other parts of the body, falling to the ground, loss of responsiveness, clenching of teeth with foaming at the mouth, and loss of bowel or bladder control.

What to Do If Seizures Occur?

Stay Calm.
Prevent patients from falling on the ground.
Remove any sharp or hard material in the vicinit.
Loosen clothing & support the head with a small pad/towel.
After a seizure, check if the person is responsive & breathing. Roll the person to a side-lying position.
Start CPR if a person becomes unconscious & stops breathing or is only gasping.

What Not to Do If Seizures Occur?

Give anything to drink or eat.
Put any spoon or any sharp object in your mouth.
Make the patient smell pungent or rotten materials.
Restrict jerky movement.
Gag the mouth.

Alarming Facts About Seizures

There is one death every 4 minutes in India due to road accidents.
A person suffers a brain stroke every 4 minutes.
A person dies every 33 seconds due to a heart attack in India.
Over 70,000 lives can be potentially saved if bystanders come forward to help.

Lend a helping hand with the law by your side

As per the Good Samaritan Law –

You will NOT BE LIABLE for any civil or criminal action for any injury or death of the victim.
If you inform police or emergency service regarding an injured person, you CAN NOT BE COMPELLED to reveal your personal details.
There is the provision of DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST public officials who coerce Good Samaritan to reveal personal details.

To get the fastest response for any medical emergency, Call 011-40554055

24x7 Central Emergency Response Centre.

Fully-equipped Max Bike Responder for immediate medical attention.
Advanced life support ambulance follows.
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