Faster treatment for seizures

A new study indicates that an autoinjector pen is a faster, effective way for emergency medical personnel to treat serious seizures. Typically, when paramedics respond to a prolonged seizure, they attempt to start an IV to deliver an anticonvulsant. However, starting an IV in a patient who is experiencing seizures can be challenging and waste precious time. An autoinjector — similar to the EpiPen — saves time. The investigators, at UK and other institutions, compared two medicines known to be effective in controlling seizures, midazolam, a candidate for injection because it is rapidly absorbed from muscle, and lorazepam, which must be given by IV.  73 percent of patients in the group receiving midazolam via autoinjector were seizure-free upon arrival at the hospital, compared to 63 percent of patients who received IV treatment. These results are significant, because seizures result in approximately 55,000 deaths in the US each year.