Loss of consciousness is a life-threatening condition, therefore, first aid provided in a correct manner is extremely important. Regardless of the causes of unconsciousness and its associated symptoms, the consequences can be dire. Loss of consciousness may result in airway obstruction due to blockage with the tongue, foreign body or stomach contents, cutting off the air supply, and after several dozen seconds, causing cardiac arrest and death.

Loss of consciousnessis a state in which the victim is unconscious, he does not react to any external stimuli: he does not answer questions asked, he does not react to a gentle shake on his shoulders. Ifloss of consciousnesshas a sudden onset, is short-term (no more than 1-2 minutes), and resolves spontaneously, it is a fainting.

Fainting itself is not life-threatening, as it does not stop the circulatory and respiratory functions. However, falls during fainting and related injuries, for example to the head (injuries, concussion), can be dangerous.

However, if the loss of consciousness lasts more than a few minutes, it is no longer considered fainting. Many different types of disorders only resemble fainting - another mechanism is characterized by loss of consciousness in epilepsy, hypoglycaemia, poisoning, and cerebral ischemic attacks.

In some situations, there may be an apparent loss of consciousness, such as in: cataplexy, psychogenic pseudosyncope, attacks of cerebral ischemia as a result of stenosis of the carotid arteries.

As the circumstances of loss of consciousness, patients most often mention long standing, fatigue, crowds of people, high ambient temperature, emotional shock, or severe pain and dizziness.

Loss of consciousness, even a short-term one, can be dangerous to he alth and / or life, therefore first aid is extremely important if given correctly.

Loss of consciousness - symptoms

Before you pass out, you may experience symptoms such as:

  • pale skin
  • dizziness
  • dark or spots in front of the eyes
  • shortness of breath
  • fast heartbeat
  • feeling hot
  • tinnitus
  • headache
  • nausea
  • poty

After collapsing, the patient may complain about:

  • weakness
  • confusion about time and place
  • headache
  • sleepiness
  • muscle pain

In some cases there are no symptoms.

Read also: Dog bite - what to do? First aid and treatment after a dog bite

Ariel Szczotok: do not pour water on the injured person, do not give him anything to drink

Loss of consciousness - causes and effects

Reflex syncope

Reflex syncope is stress-induced and is defined as a short-term loss of consciousness associated with decreased blood supply to the central nervous system, caused by a drop in blood pressure and / or heart rate. Characteristic for this type of syncope is rapid and spontaneous return to the baseline state and the occurrence of symptoms announcing loss of consciousness.

The pre-syncope may precede fainting, but may also resolve without unconsciousness, and is called fainting. The loss of consciousness may be accompanied by an unpleasant sight, smell or hearing sensation, nausea, vomiting. May be associated with a change in body position - prolonged standing (in a crush, heat).

Cardiogenic syncope

Cardiogenic syncope is the second most common type of syncope and is most often caused by arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and a reduction in cardiac output and blood flow to the brain. If the loss of consciousness occurred during exercise or was preceded by palpitations, cardiogenic causes (decreased cardiac output, arrhythmias) may be suspected.

Orthostatic hypotension

Orthostatic hypotension - associated with a change in body position - appears after a quick upright standing. It is usually a recurring event where blood pressure drops while standing. According to the guidelines, the cause is a circulatory disorder where fainting is one of the symptoms alongside dizziness, fatigue, palpitations, blurred vision and even back pain.

Situational syncope

Situational syncope occurs during coughing, urination, and defecation.

The factors that provoke the occurrence of short-term loss of consciousness include: staying in a poorly ventilated room, intense physical exertion, sudden change of body position, prolonged standing, strong emotions, stress and pain.

As mentioned, many different kinds of disorders only resemble fainting - a different mechanism characterizes loss of consciousness in the course of otherdiseases such as:

  • hypoglycemia - in the final stage of hypoglycemia, there is loss of consciousness, unconsciousness, and coma. If the patient is not given first aid, he may die.
  • head injuries - direct damage to the brain tissue by trauma or blow, increase in intracranial pressure due to bleeding or swelling of the brain
  • anemia
  • subclavian steal syndrome - an accompanying symptom is upper limb exhaustion
  • carotid sinus syndrome - head and neck movements, pressure on the carotid sinuses (e.g. tight collar) cause loss of consciousness
  • autonomic failure - loss of consciousness occurs after a heavy meal
  • hyperthermia (heat stroke, exercise hyperthermia) - high ambient temperature, strenuous exercise
  • neurological (e.g. epilepsy) - urinary incontinence, biting the tongue, trauma, convulsions may appear
  • neurological (e.g. transient ischemic attacks) - accompanying symptoms are dizziness, speech disorders, double vision. A characteristic feature is the slow return of consciousness
  • electric shock - the injured person falls to the ground, shaking his hands violently at the same time - most often there is an electric wire in his clenched hand. At the point of contact with the current, skin burns are observed, sometimes very extensive

Ariel Szczotok, paramedic: Any loss of consciousness requires immediate clarification

Loss of consciousness - first aid

1. Check if the scene of the incident is safe

If a person is unconscious, e.g. in a bathroom, and you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, they and all other household members should be quickly evacuated from the apartment. Call an ambulance. If you are alone, do it as soon as you lay the victim on their side. If you have someone to help, an ambulance should be called immediately.

2. Check the state of consciousness

To do this, ask a simple question and shake the injured gently by the shoulders. No reaction? Ask someone for help to stay with you. If possible, these activities should be performed in the position in which the unconscious was found in the so-called existing position. If not, gently place the victim on his back.

Don't do that
  • We don't give any food or drink to anyone who passes out
  • we do not give our own medications, heart drops or the so-called sobering s alts
  • you must not shake or shake a fainted person
  • you should not pour water on a fainted person, because it will only deepen the shock; you can only wipe his face, neck andneck with a towel dampened in cold water

3. Check the airway for patency and the breathing of an unconscious person

When checking breathing, we follow the pattern: I hear, feel, see. We lean over the victim's head, bringing our ear closer to his mouth and nose, and put our hand on his chest.

The presence of breath is evidenced by: the murmur of inhaled air (we hear), the warmth of the exhaled air (we feel) and the movements of the chest (we see, feel). You should spend about 10 seconds checking your breathing, during this time you should observe at least 2 correct breaths.

If the injured person has obstruction of the airway, open it. To do this, place one hand on the victim's forehead, two fingers of the other hand on the chin and tilt your head back. Even if a spinal injury is suspected, you must tilt the victim's head back to allow breathing.

4. Place the victim in a safe position (recovery position)

In this position, we place unconscious people who are breathing and who, after a traumatic examination, do not suspect a spine, pelvic injury or fracture. To check whether the victim has injuries, a traumatic examination is performed - by observing the face of the victim and touching individual parts of the body, look for: open wounds, deformities, swelling, tenderness, pathological mobility within the limbs.

We perform the examination in the following order: neck and head, paying attention to the presence of blood on the hands after examining the back of the head, collarbones and chest, abdomen, pelvis and bones of the pubic symphysis, upper and lower limbs, back.

Loss of consciousness - first aid. What does it look like? Explains the paramedic

If an unconscious person has external injuries, we cover them with dressings, immobilize the fractures, and leave the injured person in the current position or lying on the back.

Remember to keep the airway open so that the unconscious can breathe freely, protect against heat loss and systematically control your breathing until an ambulance arrives. Constantly watch the victim for possible vomiting.

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