Simple Injection May Stop Long Seizures

A pre-loaded injector may deliver drugs to halt long seizures more easily than the intravenous drugs used now, researchers say. A study published February 16 compared two ways of treating severe seizures called status epilepticus. Some can be life-threatening. To stop the seizures, drugs usually are given through a vein in the arm. But it can be difficult to insert an intravenous (IV) line while someone is having a seizure. Researchers trained more than 4,000 paramedics to treat patients with both an IV drug and an auto-injector. The injector shot was given in a muscle, usually the thigh. Half of the time, the injector was filled with a fake drug and the IV drug was real. For the other cases, the injector drug was real and the IV drug was fake. In all, 893 patients were treated.