What are the common mistakes we make when dealing with infant convulsions?

After the winter solstice, the coldest days of the year officially begin. The temperature gradually drops, respiratory infections increase, and the number of children with fever increases significantly. Ma Yanqiu, deputy chief physician of the emergency department of Shunyi Women and Children's Hospital, pointed out that febrile convulsions are the most common cause of convulsions in infants and young children; in addition, foreign objects blocking the airway causing suffocation, epilepsy, encephalopathy, etc. can also cause convulsions. When a child is convulsing, be sure to avoid pressing, shaking the child, putting chopsticks in the mouth, feeding water or medicine, acupuncture, and other wrong practices. Call 120 emergency number in time for professional help.

What should parents do if they find their child having convulsions?

1. Do not place the child beside the bed to prevent the child from falling out of bed. Immediately place the child on a soft and flat bed surface, away from sharp objects to prevent the child from being accidentally stabbed during convulsions.

2. Avoid letting the child lie headfirst. The child should lie on his side with his head tilted slightly back, or lie flat with his head tilted to one side. Unbutton the collar to open the airway and clear oral secretions and vomit.

3. Do not press too hard to fix the child to avoid accidental injuries, including fractures, dislocations, etc.; do not shake the child hard or try to wake him up.

4. Do not try to put your fingers, chopsticks, etc. into the child's mouth or between the upper and lower teeth. When the child is convulsing, the teeth are often tightly closed, and it is not easy to put anything between the upper and lower teeth. It may also cause collateral damage to the child and damage to the parents' fingers. Unless you put something soft such as gauze in time before the child starts to convulse to prevent the tongue from being bitten, but this timing is difficult to catch.

5. Do not try to feed water or medicine during convulsions. The child cannot swallow at this time. Not only is it useless, it may also cause aspiration.

6. Do not attempt acupuncture or burning acupoints unless you have received guidance from medical staff.

7. Call 120 immediately. 120 emergency personnel will rush to the scene to treat and transfer the child as soon as possible, and will give parents guidance over the phone on the way to the treatment.

8. If the child is still convulsing during the medical treatment, let the child lie on his side and do not tie him tightly. For those with fever and convulsions, avoid wrapping them too thickly, which is not conducive to heat dissipation.

The brain and nervous system of infants and young children is not fully developed, and abnormal nerve discharges lead to convulsions. Convulsions are a common clinical manifestation in infants and young children, and most convulsions will stop on their own within a few minutes. What parents need to do is to ensure that the child is safe during convulsions, so as not to cause greater harm, and to send the child to the doctor in time.

Author: Ma Yanqiu, deputy chief physician of the emergency department of Shunyi Women and Children's Hospital