criteria for admission if febrile convulsion/seizure
Last reviewed 01/2018
Majority of patients do not require hospital admission.
Admission for further assessment by a paediatrician should be considered in:
- first febrile seizure.
- decreased consciousness level before seizure (use of the Paediatric Glasgow Coma Score is encouraged for an objective record)
- slow recovery with abnormal behaviour or drowsiness after seizure - consider referral if normal neurological or mental state is not achieved within one hour
- clinical signs of meningism (irritability, neck stiffness, photophobia, headache)
- complex febrile seizures
- focal neurological deficit on examination
- unwell child with features of septicaemia
- unexplained cause of fever (1)
For children prone to recurrent febrile convulsions, parents can be provided with diazepam rectal tubes and shown how to administer them.
Reference: