Evaluation and Management of Pediatric Febrile Seizures in the Emergency Department

Febrile seizures are common in children, who are often brought to the nearest emergency department (ED). Patients who meet the case definition of simple febrile seizure are not at higher risk for serious bacterial illness than clinically similar febrile children who have not experienced a convulsion. Children who have had complex febrile seizures must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and treated with diagnostic and therapeutic measures based on the differential diagnosis. Round-the-clock prophylactic administration of antipyretics has not been demonstrated to affect recurrence of simple febrile seizure. Parents should be informed that recurrence is common, and that these convulsions are benign with an excellent prognosis. Care-givers should be informed that the risk of developing epilepsy after a simple febrile seizure is low, but that complex febrile seizures carry a significantly higher risk.