REMARKABLE EVACUATION AND REPATRIATION OF A SEIZURE PATIENT

The brain consists of nerve cells that communicate with each other through electrical activity. Seizures occur when one or more parts of the brain have an excessive surge to the electrical activity, interfering with normal brain impulses.

According to American Heart Association, seizures are often caused by a medical condition called epilepsy. Seizures may also be triggered by head injury, high or low blood sugar, heat-related injury, poisoning, or cardiac arrest. Seizures may be caused by a variety of factors in children, including an imbalance of nerve-signalling brain chemicals (neurotransmitters), a brain tumour, a stroke, or brain damage caused by illness or accident.

The mission

In November, AMREF Flying Doctors received a call requesting medical evacuation services, from Moroni, Comoros to Nairobi, Kenya for specialised care.

With our experiences in medical evacuation, we ensured that all the necessary documentation was in place to guarantee a smooth transfer. Additionally, we ensured that we reserved a health facility for their admission.

The patient was later transferred to a hospital in Nairobi where they received advanced medical care and after a few days, the patient had recovered as was fit to be repatriated back home.

As an accredited medical assistance service provider, AMREF Flying Doctors have extensive experience in organising and coordinating the medical treatment, evacuation and repatriation of people taken ill while in the Eastern Africa Region.

We arranged for a Guarantee of Payment (GOP) to cover the patient’s medical bills and subsequent repatriation.

The outcome was very positive, as the patient was safely evacuated to Nairobi and then repatriated to Comoros following treatment. We were able to provide high-quality care throughout the process.

First aid for any type of seizure

During the Seizure

Ease the person to the floor.
Turn the person gently onto one side. This will help the person breathe.
Move furniture or other objects away from the patient to prevent injury.
Place something soft under the patient’s head.
Remove eyeglasses.
Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make it hard to breathe.
If the person wanders, stay by their side and gently steer them away from danger
Time the seizure.

After the seizure

Stay with the person until the seizure ends and he or she is fully awake. After it ends, help the person sit in a safe place.
Stay with the person until someone with more advanced training arrives and takes over.
Keep yourself and other people calm.
Check to see if the person is wearing a medical bracelet or other emergency information.
Offer to call a taxi or another person to make sure the person gets home safely.
If the patient is having trouble breathing because of vomiting or fluids in their mouth, roll them onto their side.
If the patient is unresponsive and are not breathing normally or are only gasping, give CPR.

Call Emergency Service Provider If:

The seizure lasts more than 5 minutes
It repeats without full recovery between seizures
If consciousness or regular breathing does not return after the seizure ends
The person is pregnant, has diabetes, appears injured or is in water
You are not sure the person has epilepsy or a seizure disorder

Caution

Do not hold the person down or try to stop his or her movements.
Do not put anything in the person’s mouth. This can injure teeth or the jaw. A person having a seizure cannot swallow his or her tongue.
Do not try to give mouth-to-mouth breaths (like CPR). People usually start breathing again on their own after a seizure.
Do not offer the person water or food until he or she is fully alert.

Common concerns

If the person has bitten their tongue, cheek, or mouth and is bleeding, give first aid after the seizure.

AMREF Flying Doctors Emergency Life Support Training Centre

AMREF Flying Doctors is the leading provider in Emergency Life Support Skills. The highly trained critical care team with vast experience assures you of the highest level of quality training. Our motto is to do what we do best.

We are accredited by American Heart Association (AHA) as a training centre for Emergency Life Support Courses and registered by both Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board (KMPDB) as a CPD provider and National Industrial Training Authority as a government recognized training service provider organization.

AMREF Flying Doctors offers a range of training designed to help you meet and realise the various emergency health & safety regulations/requirements. Some of which include: