Article in critical care nurse reviews the latest clinical information to care for patients who experience continuous or recurrent seizures
As with stroke, when a patient is experiencing a prolonged seizure, time is very important. A quicker response and fast action is required to help prevent long-term neurological damage to the brain. Seizures cannot always be easily identified. Some show outward signs that include convulsing and jerking of the arms and/or legs. Others can only be detected through small, subtle movements that are less noticeable. The article, “Status Epilepticus in Adults: A Review of Diagnosis and Treatment,” provides guidance for critical care nurses that may encounter these patients. “A seizure can quickly change from a stressful situation to a life-threatening emergency. Without rapid assessment and treatment, seizures that progress to status epilepticus can cause permanent damage,” said co-author Thomas Lawson, RN, MS, ACNP-BC, an acute care nurse practitioner in the neuroscience critical care unit at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, in Columbus, Ohio. To read more, click here.
