Plan de cuidados de enfermería en el síndrome epiléptico relacionado con infección febril: a propósito de un caso

Abstract

Introduction

Febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES) is a serious epileptic encephalopathy of unknown aetiology, which leads to refractory epileptic status and neuropsychological deterioration. It appears mainly in children and has 3 phases: initial, acute and chronic. In the chronic phase, educational intervention is important to reduce and address exacerbations. Its prevalence is low (1/100,000 children in Europe) which makes it a disease of interest to present as a clinical case with a nursing care plan.

Case

This is a 16-year-old male patient who debuted at age 7 and has intellectual impairment and abehavioural disorder. Approximately every 21 days he has exacerbations requiring hospitalization, a situation that we address in this case.

Care plans

The main needs we find are breathing (risk of aspiration), food (risk of electrolyte imbalance), elimination (urinary and faecal incontinence), mobility (deterioration of physical mobility), communication (deterioration of verbal communication) and safety (tiredness of the caregiver's role, risk of falls, risk of infection, risk of deterioration of skin integrity).

Conclusions

In the acute phase, the need for safety is the most affected, requiring the necessary prevention measures. On the other hand, hospitalization is a good time to work with the family, optimizing the resources provided (home service, ketogenic diet, among others). A multidisciplinary approach is essential for planning and carrying out care.