Rationale and Comments
Febrile seizures are the most commonly occurring seizures in the first 60 months of life. Caregiver anxiety can often lead to requests for neurodiagnostic testing. Attention should be directed at finding the cause of fever and treating it. Electroencephalography tests are costly and can increase caregiver and child anxiety without changing the outcome or course of treatment. Electroencephalography has not been shown to predict the recurrence of febrile seizures or future epilepsy in patients with simple febrile seizures. Electroencephalography can be ordered for children who present with afebrile seizures or complex febrile seizures or for children with neurological insult.
Sponsoring Organizations
- American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, Society of Pediatric Nurses, & American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc.
Sources
Disciplines
References
- Subcommittee on Febrile Seizures; American Academy of Pediatrics. Neurodiagnostic evaluation of the child with a simple febrile seizure. Pediatrics. 2011;127(2):389-394.
- El-Radhi AS. Management of seizures in children. Br J Nurs. 2015;24(3):152-155.
- Graves RC, Oehler K, Tingle LE. Febrile seizures: risks, evaluation, and prognosis. Am Fam Physician. 2012;85(2):149-153.
- Harini C, Nagarajan E, Kimia AA, et al. Utility of initial EEG in first complex febrile seizure. Epilepsy Behav. 2015;52(Pt A):200-204.
- Oluwabusi T, Sood SK. Update on the management of simple febrile seizures: emphasis on minimal intervention. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2012;24(2):259-265.