Seth Omari Mensah
Kharkov National Medical University, Ukraine
Title: Management of epileptic seizures in ghana: complications of putting a spoon into an epileptic seizure patient’s mouth to prevent biting of their tongue
Biography
Biography: Seth Omari Mensah
Abstract
Epilepsy is the most common neurological problem worldwide particularly in the sub-Saharan district there is less data collection in West Africa and this has made public awareness more difficult. The most common management of an epileptic patient in seizure at home is the placing of the back of the metal spoon in the patient’s mouth with the aim of avoiding patient from biting their tongue. But this method turn out to be hazardous leading to complications like injury to the mouth especially the teeth and gums thusresulting in excessive bleeding in the mouth, loss of teeth and most serious cases aspiration of blood and oral fluids (foamy mucous) into the lungs which eventually leads to pneumonia. According to the survey done, majority of people still use the spoon method because of the adage that patient may swallow the tongue during seizures. Due to my vivid research, more awareness must be created on the complications of the method of using the back of the metallic spoon during epileptic seizures and also awareness must be created on the proper steps to take when a patient is in an epileptic seizure.