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Mr. Sampson Has a Seizure
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Maria, a certified nursing assistant at Saint Peter’s Hospital, knocks on Mr. Sampson’s door and calls out his name. When there is no answer, she opens the door and sees Mr. Sampson lying on the floor, shaking slightly. Mr. Sampson has epilepsy, and he is having a seizure. A seizure occurs when there is abnormal electrical activity in his brain, leading to a lack of awareness of his surroundings, different behavior, shaking body movements, and the production of more saliva in his mouth.
Mr. Sampson does not respond when Maria asks if he can hear her, and Maria knows he is not aware of his surroundings while he is having a seizure. His body convulses, and he has saliva in the corners of his mouth. Maria is concerned, but she has seen patients have seizures before, and she knows what to do to help Mr. Sampson. She looks around the room and moves a small table out of the way in case he would hit it and injure himself. Maria does not touch Mr. Sampson or try to restrain him; she just waits for the seizure to end. Then she rolls Mr. Sampson onto his side to ensure that his saliva can flow out of his mouth. Mr. Sampson slowly revives, notices that Maria is sitting near him, and asks, “Maria? What happened?”
“You had a seizure, Mr. Sampson. You’re all right now. Just relax,” Maria says. Mr. Sampson might feel embarrassed about having a seizure, so Maria pats his shoulder and tells him to rest. She wipes the saliva from his mouth. When Maria knows Mr. Sampson is fully aware of his surroundings and can safely stand up, she helps him up. She leads him to a chair so he can sit and recover for a few minutes. Glad that Mr. Sampson is feeling better, Maria goes to the nursing station to record the seizure.