First Aid for Fainting

Causes of fainting. Cartoons often show women shrieking and fainting at the approach of a mouse, or a snake, or a singing star. It is not very often that you will have to give first aid for this sort of a condition. How­ever, fainting can be caused by great fear or any other condition which causes blood to drain away from the brain.

Perhaps you have heard of someone who has fainted after sitting for a long time in a stuffy room. The stuffy air was probably only one of the causes. Lack of sleep, tension, fatigue, and poor diet might have been other causes.

Helping a victim. You can treat a fainting victim by laying him down and elevating his feet slightly. This will help the flow of blood to the brain. If the person is sitting and feels faint, he should place his head between his knees to help revive circulation to the brain.

Women are not the only ones who faint. Soldiers who are forced to stand at attention in the heat of the sun for long periods often faint. The heat causes the blood vessels to expand. Because of the soldier’s inactivity and the tension he is under, the blood collects in the lower parts of the body.

If a person faints from any of the
previously mentioned causes, the first-aid measures already described should revive him within a few minutes. If the person does not respond quickly, there is probably something else wrong. The alert first-aider should then check for an injury suffered during a fall or some other complication. If simple first aid does not produce a quick recovery, a doctor should be consulted at once.

Related Posts

No related posts.