Simple Febrile: EEG
The Simple Febrile Seizure CPG team concurs with the recommendation of the AAP (Patricia K Duffner et al., 2008) that an EEG should not be performed in the child who is neurologically healthy and has had a simple febrile seizure. Two additional studies have been found since the search completed for the AAP Guideline was performed and included here. They are both are of retrospective cohort studies and do not provide additional information that supports obtaining an EEG for children after a simple febrile seizure. Both studies look at the prognostic value of obtaining an EEG and neither study separates simple from complex febrile seizures to answer this question.
Kanemura, Sano, Yamashiro, Sugita, & Aihara (2011) reported on 119 subjects (99 subjects had simple febrile seizures) Those with simple febrile seizures were significantly less likely to develop epilepsy (p<0.05). However the EEG was performed 7-20 days after the index event, not the population we are including in this CPG. (Karimzadeh et al., 2013) did not differentiate simple from complex seizures.
These pathways do not establish a standard of care to be followed in every case. It is recognized that each case is different, and those individuals involved in providing health care are expected to use their judgment in determining what is in the best interests of the patient based on the circumstances existing at the time. It is impossible to anticipate all possible situations that may exist and to prepare a pathway for each. Accordingly, these pathways should guide care with the understanding that departures from them may be required at times.