Seizures: first aid

In short: During a major seizure a person loses consciousness, often falls and jerks all over. Helpers should above all protect them from injury, not try to stop the seizure and keep an eye on the time.

In more detail: Seizures can occur with epilepsy, but also because of fever in young children, low blood sugar, injuries or other illnesses. Most seizures stop on their own after one or two minutes.

In detail

• Stay calm: The seizure looks frightening, but the person usually feels nothing while it is happening.
• Protect from injury: Move hard or sharp objects out of the way and put something soft under the head; only move the person if they are in danger, for example on a road.
• Do not restrain: Do not hold down jerking arms and legs, as this can cause injuries.
• Nothing in the mouth: Do not push anything between the teeth and do not give anything to drink.
• Time it: Check the clock when the seizure starts and ends; this information helps the ambulance crew and doctors.
• Emergency number 112: Call 112 (the emergency number in Germany and the EU) at once if it is the first known seizure, if it lasts longer than five minutes, if several seizures follow one another, or if the person is injured, pregnant or having trouble breathing (notruf-richtig-absetzen).
• After the seizure: If the person is breathing normally but remains dazed or drowsy, place them in the recovery position and stay with them (stabile-seitenlage-anleitung).
• Not breathing normally: If the person is not breathing normally after the jerking stops, start resuscitation immediately (wiederbelebung-und-defibrillator-grundlagen).
• Respectful support: Send onlookers away, speak reassuringly and explain what has happened; people with known epilepsy often carry an emergency card, and a first-aid course prepares you well for situations like this.