Most brief seizures lasting under five minutes stop on their own and do not require ambulance attendance. However, seek emergency medical care immediately if: the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes; breathing appears difficult or the child turns blue; a second seizure follows immediately without recovery in between; it is the child's first ever seizure; the child does not return to a normal level of consciousness within 30 minutes; or there is a head injury before the seizure. Do not wait to see if a prolonged seizure will stop. Time matters in a seizure lasting beyond five minutes.
Written by Dr. Sameeta Mercy Prabhu, MBBS (Father Muller Medical College Hospital, 2012), MD Pediatrics (Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, RGUHS, 2020), Fellowship in Pediatric Neurology (Manipal Academy of Higher Education), Consultant Pediatric Neurologist, Rainbow Children's Hospital and BirthRight, International Airport Road, Byatarayanapura, Bengaluru 560092. Phone: 7204273076.
