Phases of Grand Mal Seizures & General Info

A grand mal seizures are the most common type of seizures that involves every part of the brain. A grand mal seizure consists of two phases.

Phase 1 of Grand Mal Seizures – Tonic Phase

The muscles in the body stiffen and the hands and feet either turn into the body completely or else turn entirely outward, which causes the victim to fall down if he or she was standing when the incident began. The victim becomes unconscious and may make various sounds.

Grand Mal Seizures Phase 2 – Clonic Phase

This lasts a little longer and consists of the symptoms most people think of when they envision a seizure- convulsions, shaking, eyes rolling back, biting the tongue, and a general loss of control over bodily functions.

What Exactly Happens During Seizures?

Grand mal seizures generally lasts only a few minutes, which is usually not enough time for emergency medical assistance to arrive. Following the seizure, the victim may remain unconscious for a short period of time and will normally wake up with no recollection of what happened. This is why it is important for bystanders to take note of what transpired during the seizure.

What you can do when you see seizures – First Aid Steps

There isn’t much you can do for grand mal seizures in terms of first aid but remembering what happened could be a lifesaver in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Details of the seizure are very important and it is something the patient himself will never be able to remember so witnesses should try to remain calm and take note of what happened during the emergency.

Grand mal seizures can be quite frightening to witness but simply having someone present is the best first aid in this case. There is nothing you can do to stop a seizure but you can prevent it from becoming a more serious emergency.

First, lay the person onto his side if possible so that if he vomits, he will not swallow his vomit and choke on it.

Place something soft under his head so he does not bang it too hard against the ground. Keeping in mind that people move around a lot during a seizure, move dangerous objects out of the area so the victim does not bump into anything.

Do not try to restrain the person or place anything into their mouth.

Following the seizure, bring the victim to the emergency room for a follow-up exam, If this is the victims first grand mal seizures, the medical history is unknown, or the seizure last longer than 5 minutes, it is more appropriate to call 911 or the local emergency number and have EMS providers assess the victim and the circumstances.

If someone you know has epilepsy or a history of seizures, it is particularly important to supervise him when swimming as a grand mal seizure that takes place in the water can result in death by drowning. Otherwise, people don’t normally die from this type of seizure. The best thing you can do is help the victim prevent further damage and bring him for emergency treatment after the seizure, or call EMS if the appropriate.

Source: Article found on Disabled World website. Information there was provided by Michael Morales who is an EMT-Paramedic and program director for Vital Ethics

Grand Mal Seizures Information & Strategies

The most beneficial and only way you can actually help you and your family be prepared and live with grand mal seizures is by examining and discovering a lot more about them. So have a look at more articles on our grand mal seizures web site.