A baby developed status epilectus after her parents “copiously” applied a nappy cream containing 4% lidocaine to a groin rash, doctors say.

The 11-month-old girl arrived at the ED of the Cinninnati Children’s Hopsital, in Ohio, US, unresponsive and with generalised tonic-clonic seizure activity without focal features, US doctors report.

She had been well, other than a nappy rash, for which the parents had sought treatment from her GP and multiple local EDs, using OTC nappy creams, topical nystatin and oral fluconazole to no effect.

At first, the doctors could find no clear trigger for her status epilectus, and no additional physical problems, other than an erythematous and macerated nappy rash.