Do all pediatric patients who have a febrile seizure require transport by advanced life support?
OBJECTIVE
In the state of New Jersey, all pediatric patients who are transported to the hospital by emergency medical services for seizures are evaluated by both advanced life support (ALS) and basic life support (BLS) units. The state triage protocol mandates that a paramedic unit be dispatched. The purpose of this study is establish that the subset of those patients who experience simple febrile seizures could be safely transported by BLS, subsequently freeing much needed ALS resources.


METHODS
This study was performed using a retrospective chart review. Seventy-one consecutive patients who experienced febrile seizures and were transported to the Bristol-Meyers-Squib Children's Hospital/Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital via ALS were included. These patients were risk stratified into groups which were analyzed for interventions, including inpatient admission, medication delivery, intubation, or respiratory support.


RESULTS
From this analysis, we are identified factors in the history and physical examination of patients in the field that would help to classify the patient as having a "simple febrile seizure" and thus significantly lowering the risk of any potential negative outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Simple febrile seizure patients are suitable for transport via BLS. Further studies should be done to confirm this conclusion.
Brodsky
Richard
R
Department of Pediatrics, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Merlin
Mark A
MA
Leva
Ernest G
EG
Levy
Robert S
RS
Leva
Joseph
J
Shaible
Jason
J
D022561:Advanced Cardiac Life Support / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation; D000552:Ambulances / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D003294:Seizures, Febrile / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods; D014218:Triage / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration