Seizures can be scary to watch and scarier if you’re a student nurse assigned to a patient who ends up suffering from a grand mal seizure. The scariest of all is sitting in front of a psychiatric nursing test without knowing the different types of seizures. Be not afraid oh nursing ninjas, this quick guide will help you on your path to greatness!
Absense – Petit Mal – Seizures
This type of seizure is characterized by a brief period of loss of conciousness and a blank stare. It’s common in children.
Myoclonic Seizures
This type of seizure is characterized by brief jerking or stiffening of the extremities. It will typically last for a few seconds and the contractions may be symmetrical or asymmetrical
Atonic Seizures
Some refer this as a drop attack because the patient will fall because of a sudden loss of muscle tone that lasts for seconds. The patient will also have postictal confusion
Tonic Seizures
An abrupt incrase in muscle tone, loss of consciousness, and loss of autonomic signs that last from 30 seconds to several minutes will signify this type of seizure.
Clonic Seizures
A clonic seizure will last several minutes and is characterized by muscle contraction and relaxation. Remember that clonic is defined as a state in which relaxation and rigidity will quickly alternate.
Tonic-Clonic Seizures – Grand Mal
This seizure will last 2-5 minutes. The tonic phase will be marked with stiffening or rigidity of the muscles as well as loss of consciousness. The clonic portion of the seizure is marked by rhythmic jerking of the extremities. The patient may bite his tougue and be incontinent of urine and feces. They will have fatigue from the muscle contractions as well as confusion and lethargy for one hour after the seizure.
Partial Seizures – Focal Seizures
Partial seizures begin part of one cerebral hemisphere. They are most often seen in adults and are subdivided into two main classes: Simple Partial Seizures and Complex Partial Seizures.
Simtyple Partial Seizures
Patient remains conscious
Reports an aura: smell, deja vu, sudden pain
unilateral movement of extremity
experience unusual sensations
automnomic: change in heart rate, skin flushing, epigastric discomfort
Complex Partial Seizures
Lose consciousness or black out for 1-3 minutes
Automatisms (patient isn’t aware) like lip smacking, pitting, picking at clothes
After seizure, the patient may experience amnesia
Area of brain that is most often involved is the temporal lobe
Unclassified or Idiopathic Seizures
These occur for no known reasons and account for half of all seizures. they do not fit into generalized or partial classifications.
Status Epilepticus
These are seizures that last for 30 minutes or longer or in a series of rapid succeeding seizures. Possible causes may include:
Sudden withdrawal from an anticonvulsant, infection, acute alcohol withdrawal, head trauma, cerebral edema, and metabolic disturbances.
Corey O
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