How is fainting treated?

Answer 1

# Catch the victim if you can, and fall SLOWLY to the floor with them -- i.e. ease them to the floor. This is a bit tricky if the victim is too large for you to lift. # If they're in a dangerous position (lying in the middle of the road), get them to safety. # Gently but quickly ease them onto their back. # Assess breathing and cardiac. If breathing or heart are problematic, commence CPR as needed. # If breathing and heart are well, place them in a position where their legs are higher than their head (shock position). # Maintain body temp. If it's cold out, get a blanket; if it's hot out get some shade, and perhaps wipe them down with a cool cloth. # Perform an assessment: Are they cool or hot to the touch? Sweating or dry? Are they cyanotic? Check and record vitals. # See if they respond to voice or touch -- if they do, good. # If they do not display any grave symptoms, don't DO anything except monitor their condition. Don't use smelling salts. Unless there is a specific need, don't so anything strenuous to revive them. Let them come to on their own. If this isn't working, consider a 911 call. # Don't leave them until they either walk away themselves, or you hand the scene over to someone as qualified as you, or moreso. # Once they regain consciousnes, it's normal for them to be confused or groggy. Let them. Don't rush things. Consider what caused them to faint. Heat stroke, Heat exhaustion, intoxicants and shock are all prime candidates (and require different treatment), but so are low electrolytes, hypotension (sometimes from standing up too fast), and quite a few not dangerous conditions.

Answer 2

=It's a common occurrence in those old movies that my Dad still watches - A woman passes out / fainting, when she is informed that her military husband died in action. The physiology of this is quite interesting - it's called 'Neurogenic Shock', The blood vessels have the ability to dilate and contract upon receiving a signal from the brain, through the neurotransmitters. If you're doing a heavy activity like running, the brain instructs the blood vessels, that supply blood to those muscle groups, to dilate. This allows more oxygenated haemoglobin into the starving muscles. If your in a classroom situation, the signal is sent to contract the vessels to squeeze more oxygen to the brain. Now, when the wife got a fright from the bad news, the brain, momentarily, looses control of these vessels, they in true dilate to full extreme and gravity, pulls all that blood down into the legs, (this is that heavy leg feeling). The brain panics because there is a shortage of oxygen, so the signal goes out to instruct the myocardium to beat faster. This is a problem because the heart is also a muscle, and it too needs oxygen to be able to function. So there goes another signal, this time, to the lungs. The lungs get all cocky and chirp, "Okay, we're drawing in oxygen but there is no blood to get the oxygen to the heart. Can you see where the system starts to fail?? If there is a system meltdown, no oxygen will reach the brain, and because the brain cannot survive without the stuff, it switches off - this is called unconsciousness. It's a self rectifying failier because as the patient falls to the ground, the body ends up horizontal, the heart and lungs don't have to fight gravity anymore, blood flows through the lungs, absorbing the oxygen and taking that to the brain.==The only problem with an unconscious patient lying on their back is their tongue - muscles in the unconscious patient are not being controled by the brain and gravity will pull the tongue towards the poterior throat waa and cause an obstruction. So the first aid for a fainting patient is, provided there is no sign of a neck or back injury, to roll them onto their side.=

Answer 3

1. If possible try break fall (by catching person as they fall).

2. Raise legs high in air, or put on chair.

3. Ensure fresh air is available (e.g. open a window or door).

4. As person 'comes around' encourage to lay on ground (and to get up slowly).

Other Notes:

- If person remains unresponsive for longer then a few seconds...call for help or ring for ambulance.

- Encourage him/her to see a doctor ASAP.

- N.B NEVER leave him/her alone (Unless going for help)....Always return to patient!