Table 23-6
- Grand Mal Seizure
- All respiratory activity is arrested, leading to arterial hypoxemia
- Diazepam and thiopental are effective for acute generalized seizures
- Focal Cortical Seizure
- May be motor or sensory
- Usually no loss of consciousness
- Absence Seizure (Petit Mal)
- Brief (30 sec) loss of awareness
- Most common in children and young adults
- Akinetic Seizure
- Sudden, brief loss of consciousness
- Usually occur in children; a fall may result in head injury
- Status Epilepticus
- Defined as two consecutive tonic-clonic seizures without regaining consciousness or seizure activity that is unabated for 30 minutes or more
- Ventilation is impaired
- Diazepam and lorazepam are drugs of choice (thiopental is effective, but its effect is brief)