Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Basic Certification Practice Exam

Which phase of a seizure follows the muscular contractions?

1. Aura

2. Tonic

3. Clonic

4. Postictial

The correct answer is: Postictial

The phase of a seizure that follows the muscular contractions is the postictal phase. This phase occurs after the clonic phase, where the person experiences rhythmic muscle contractions. Following these muscle contractions, the individual typically enters the postictal state, characterized by confusion, fatigue, and a gradual return to baseline cognitive functioning. During the postictal phase, the person may exhibit altered consciousness, lethargy, or headache as their body begins to recover from the seizure activity. Understanding this phase is vital for caregivers and emergency responders as it helps in informing follow-up care and ensuring the individual is monitored properly as they regain full consciousness and coherence. In contrast, the aura is often considered the preictal or warning phase that precedes the seizure, and the tonic and clonic phases are active parts of the seizure itself, where tonic refers to the initial sustained muscle contraction and clonic describes the subsequent jerking movements.