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SANFORD Schneider, MD
Loma Linda University School of Medicine Loma Linda, Calif

JAMA. 1976;235(18):1964.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

Dr Nicol's review on status epilepticus in the MEDICAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT section (234: 419, 1975) is so different from what we teach to house staff and students that I would like to comment. We certainly agree that the first steps should be protection of the patient from physical harm, maintenance of an airway, and ensuring that the patient's cardiovascular status is adequate for vital-organ p fusion. In nearly all cases, turning the head to one side will allow the tongue to fall adequately to ensure ventilation. Although control of status epilepticus should never be undertaken without the availability of adequate intubation equipment, it is seldom necessary to use such equipment. The time-honored method of wedging a padded tongue blade between the patient's teeth is usually a futile and potentially dangerous gesture that is rarely, if ever, indicated.

Initially, we do not give medications as does Dr Nicol, . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Footnotes
Edited by John D. Archer, MD, Senior Editor.

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