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Fainting - First Aid and Emergency Treatment Guide

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About Fainting

  • Fainting occurs due to decreased blood supply to brain
  • A fainting spell is usually very brief
  • It may or may not have medical significance

Common Causes

  • Anxiety
  • Emotional upset
  • Stress
  • Severe pain
  • Skipping meals
  • Standing up too fast
  • Standing for a long time in a crowd
  • Some medications
  • Diabetes
  • Blood PressureĀ 

Symptoms

Before fainting, a person may experience the following:

  • Nausea
  • Giddiness
  • Excessive sweating
  • Dim vision
  • Rapid heart beat or palpitations
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Treatment

  • Fainting is a medical emergency, till proven otherwise
  • When a person feels faint:
    1. Make them sit down or lie down
  • If sitting, position head between knees
  • When a person faints, position him on his back
  • Check to see if airways are clear
  • Restore blood flow by
    1. Loosening clothing/belts/collars
  • Elevate feet above head level
  • Patient should become normal within a minute
  • If not, seek medical helpĀ 
  • Check if breathing/pulse is normal
  • If not, do Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
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Prevention

  • When symptoms appear, lie down
  • Try do avoid stress and anxiety
  • Carefully evaluate your medications
  • Take care of underlying medical conditions
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