You are out for the afternoon on your day off running errands. All of a sudden you notice someone is about to faint. You are the only one around to notice, so what do you do?
There is, in fact, a lot you can do to help someone who has fainted or shows signs that they are about to faint. This month’s blog is going to focus on noticing the symptoms of someone who is fainting and what to do if you catch yourself in a situation where you need to assist someone.
When someone faints, it means that they have lost consciousness for a short period of time. Fainting happens because the brain isn’t being supplied enough blood, which drops a person’s blood pressure. It is most common for the individual to regain consciousness within a minute or two of fainting. If they do not become conscious within more than a few minutes, call EMS or do so yourself if no one else is around.
There are a number of things that could cause a person to faint. It could be something like dehydration or when someone has hypotension, which is low blood pressure. However, more serious conditions could cause someone to faint, like hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or abnormal heart rhythms.
Here are some guidelines to follow when you notice someone is about to faint.
First, you need to recognize the symptoms of someone who is about to faint. If you notice these symptoms, be prepared to act
- Yawning
- Sudden sweating
- Nausea
- Fast, deep breathing
- Confusion
- Light-headedness
- Sudden lost or blurred vision
For most of these symptoms, they are not easy to recognize on a stranger, but they will be noticeable if someone you are with has these symptoms.
When you notice that the person is about to faint it is important to first brace yourself and get into a position to grab them as they begin to fall. Slowly lay them down on the ground on their back so that their head and heart are on the same level. This is key for the blood to flow to the brain.
Next try to loosen any tight clothing, like a shirt collar, so the person is more comfortable and their air flow isn’t restricted. Once the person regains consciousness be sure that they stay laying down and resting for 15 to 20 minutes. This is important so the brain can regain the proper blood flow. If people are around, make sure they don’t crowd and only stay in the area if they are helping the situation.
Once the person feels a bit better, begin asking them if they have any medical history and if they need medical assistance. If they do, call EMS to the scene. If they are feeling good, assist them to a standing position. Make sure they don’t jump up too quickly as this could cause dizziness and loss of balance.
As mentioned above, if the person does not regain consciousness after more than a few minutes it means that it is a more serious issue and needs medical attention. Have someone call EMS. At this point check for a pulse. If there is no pulse begin CPR and get someone around the vicinity who is comfortable to conduct the CPR.
If you are interested in learning first aid and taking a CPR course, please contact us. We hold courses all over the GTA every month. Feel free to visit our website to see when we will be conducting a course near you. We also provide private training to groups or companies all over Canada, where we bring our trainers to you!
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