Are seizures considered a medical emergency?
Most seizures are self-limited, last less than a few minutes, and do not require immediate medical attention. Occasionally, however, a seizure will persist for longer, or an individual will experience back-to-back seizures without sufficient recovery time in between. This condition is called status epilepticus and should be considered a medical emergency. Although physicians debate the duration of status epilepticus events, most define this state as any seizure lasting 15 minutes or more. In rare cases, if left untreated, status epilepticus may cause respiratory arrest and death. To learn more about seizure first aid, see the Activities, Safety, and First Aid section. To learn more about seizure types and to see a video segment about status epilepticus, see the Seizure Types and Syndromes section.
