First aid for fainting

Syncope or fainting is an attack of sudden short-term loss of consciousness, which occurs as a result of a short-term violation of blood flow in the brain. The duration of fainting lasts from 15-30 seconds to 3-5 minutes. Most often, after a short period of time, a person comes to his senses on his own. Syncope is not considered a disease, but can be an important symptom of serious illnesses. When providing first aid, you need to recognize the usual fainting state from an epileptic seizure.

What is syncope?

Fainting is most often a symptom of a primary disease. Pathological conditions accompanied by syncope include: diseases that occur due to the syndrome of low (small) cardiac output (aortic stenosis, ischemia, bradycardia, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, tachycardia, cardiac dysfunction, pulmonary artery stenosis, cardiac arrhythmias); conditions arising from a lack of oxygen in the blood (anemia, hypoxia); in case of violation of the nervous regulation of blood vessels (fainting attack when quickly getting out of bed or swallowing food).

A variety of causes can lead to a short “shutdown” of the functions of the heart and blood vessels, which are regulated by the autonomic nervous system. With fainting, a short-term decrease in the number of heart contractions occurs, and blood pressure also decreases. With a simultaneous and very strong expansion of the veins, the right amount of blood ceases to flow to the heart, as a result of which the brain lacks oxygen. Under the influence of many factors and processes occurring in the body, syncope develops.

Causes of syncope

The cause of fainting can be strong nervous experiences, fear, fear, a sharp pain syndrome. These conditions lead to an instant drop in pressure in the arteries, which reduces blood flow, disrupts the blood supply to the brain, and fainting occurs. If a person eats irrationally, sits on constant debilitating diets, often goes in for hard sports, lacks sleep, feels weak, nervous, in these cases, blood pressure also drops sharply and syncope is observed.

A person may become ill while staying in a poorly ventilated room, for example, if ventilation is disturbed and there are no hoods, the likelihood of fainting increases. Also, if you cook food for a long time in the kitchen or stay in a room where there are a large number of people, you can easily lose consciousness and you will need urgent first aid from others.

With a long stay in a standing position, for example, at a school ruler or a meeting, hypovolemia provokes congestion in the lower extremities, as a result of which the amount of blood flowing to the brain decreases and syncope occurs. Other causes of fainting include: hysteria; metabolic disorder; the impact of medicines.

Signs and symptoms of fainting

Syncope is a condition that indicates a lack of oxygen and the possible presence of a disease in the human body. Fainting is a signal for seeking specialized medical care, followed by laboratory diagnosis.

The main signs and symptoms of syncope are:

• superficial barely audible breathing;
• rare and weak pulse;
• momentary lack of consciousness.

With a short-term loss of consciousness, the victim should be placed on a couch or bed in a horizontal position and slightly raise the lower limbs. Recovery within 15-30 minutes indicates the resolution of fainting.

Also fainting is characterized by: tinnitus; severe weakness; dizziness; nausea; the appearance of cold sweat; leg numbness; the appearance of a veil in front of the organ of vision.

The nature of emergency care for fainting

In the absence of respiratory failure (free airways are observed, a pulse is felt, there is no shortness of breath), the victim should be placed in a horizontal position on his back and legs should be raised. First aid for fainting is that the victim needs to unbutton or remove outer clothing that squeezes and restricts breathing (blouse, shirt, collar, belt).

To improve the blood supply to the brain and vasoconstriction, it is advisable to wipe the skin of the face and neck with a towel dipped in cold water. A cloth soaked in cold water should be squeezed out and applied to the forehead.

If the victim is vomiting, he should be put in a comfortable position and turn his head to the side to eliminate the possibility of choking with vomit. Fainting lasts for several minutes, but if a person does not regain consciousness after a maximum of 10 minutes, moisten cotton wool with ammonia and hold at a distance of 5-7 cm from the nose for several seconds. With the ineffectiveness of this manipulation, this is no longer a fainting state, but a prolonged loss of consciousness. Surrounding people need to call an ambulance or take a person in a syncopal state to the nearest ambulance station.

If the victim does wake up, he needs to drink a cup of hot herbal tea, and only then sit down or get out of bed for a while. It will take from 15 to 60 minutes to restore strength. You should not force a person to get up and go somewhere, let him lie down and rest. After a short faint, you need to consult a doctor and undergo an examination.

Distinctive features of syncope from coma

The syncopal state is short-term and is accompanied by a short memory loss, a decrease in muscle tone. When fainting, breathing, swallowing and other protective reflexes do not disappear, so there is no danger of suffocation (asphyxia).

In a coma, the muscles relax and the tongue sinks, resulting in a blockage of the airways, therefore, there is a chance of suffocation. Fainting quite often develops into a coma, which is a serious danger to human life. Such a transition is possible due to a sharp fall and a blow to the back of the head. Due to a severe bruise, there is a risk of seizures, which are a symptom of the normalization of blood circulation in the brain. The most important thing is not to confuse convulsions with an epileptic seizure.

Which specialist to contact after fainting?

After one or more episodes of syncope, you should seek specialized medical attention for a thorough evaluation. The doctor measures blood pressure and performs a physical examination, which includes auscultation, to determine the intensity of heart sounds, murmurs, and other clinically important sounds. If fainting is the result of stress-induced symptoms, a decrease in iron levels in the blood is possible. An electrocardiogram is performed for all patients. ECG may reveal rhythm and conduction disturbances, myocardial hypertrophy, accessory pathways, prolongation of the QT interval, myocardial ischemia, or myocardial infarction. In the absence of clinical signs in elderly patients, it is advisable to determine the level of markers of myocardial damage to rule out a heart attack, as well as conduct ECG monitoring for at least 24 hours. On the other hand, the presence of symptoms in the absence of rhythm disturbances rules out this cause of syncope. Therefore, with frequently repeated loss of consciousness for a long period of time, you should immediately consult a doctor to find out the cause of what is happening.

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