Instructions for handling when a child has a convulsion due to high fever

The article is expertly consulted by Master, Doctor Phan Ngoc Hai - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital and Resident Doctor, Doctor Nguyen Hung Tien - Resident Doctor of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Fever is a common symptom in young children. However, there are many parents who subjectively let their children have too high a fever, leading to convulsions, even convulsions many times, affecting the child's health.

Convulsions due to high fever are common in children from 6 months to 6 years old, accounting for 3-5% because the child's brain has not fully developed and is sensitive to temperature fluctuations in the body.
When convulsing, the child may have manifestations such as vomiting, foaming at the mouth, cyanosis. However, the characteristic of most cases of febrile convulsions in young children is a short duration of less than 5 minutes.
With febrile convulsions, there is usually no brain damage. With a benign febrile convulsion, it usually goes away after a few tens of seconds, then the child will return to normal and leave no sequelae. Therefore, there is no need to give the child any medicine.

When seeing a child having a convulsion, parents should stay calm and follow some guidelines to manage febrile convulsions to reduce the risk and accident for the child:
Step 1: Clear the airway
Most children have a febrile convulsion while being held in the arms of their parents (due to illness, high fever). Seeing their children convulsing and turning pale, not crying in their arms, many parents frantically picked up their children to find fever-reducing medicine, or ran out to catch a taxi to the hospital. But do not do that, parents should be very calm, put the child on his side, the head is not bent so that the child can breathe well. When the child is lying on his side, the airway will be open, if there is sputum, it will flow out, not falling into the lungs, which is very dangerous. Aspirate viscous sputum if an aspirator is available. Step 2: Insert the anus of fever reducer
Take off clothes to help the child feel comfortable and breathe easier. Insert anal fever-reducing drug Paracetamol at a dose of 15mg/kg/time Step 3: Cool down the body to reduce fever
Dip a towel in warm water (as warm as baby bath water) and squeeze out a bit. Place the towel in the armpit, groin and wipe all over the body. Add warm water if necessary. Change a new warm towel every 2-3 minutes to reduce fever. Stop wiping when the temperature in the armpit is below 38 degrees Celsius. All children who have a seizure after giving first aid must be taken immediately to a medical facility for proper diagnosis and treatment.

A child's febrile convulsion may recur. This worries a lot of parents. However, if we know how to handle it right from the moment the child has a fever, we can prevent convulsions:
When the child has a fever, parents should take the child to the doctor to treat the cause of the child's fever early and prevent it. convulsions may occur Undress the child, loosen the clothes, lay the child in a well-ventilated area. Do not overdress or warm the baby too tightly. Regular thermocouples to monitor the child's temperature. Wipe the child's body with warm water, take fever-reducing medicine when the child's temperature is above 38.5 degrees Celsius. When the child has a convulsion due to high fever, parents should be very calm to care for the child properly. As soon as the convulsion stops, parents should take the child to a medical facility for examination and treatment.
Doctor Tien has more than 8 years of experience in the field of Pediatrics - Neonatology, specializing in Emergency Resuscitation, Pediatric Cardiology, Neonatal Resuscitation. The doctor has been trained nationally and internationally such as: National Children's Hospital; the University of Sydney, Australia; Seoul National University, Korea before being a Resident Doctor of Pediatrics - Neonatology at Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital as it is now.