Understand what the recovery position is for, when to use it and when not to, and what to do next.
The third state
Unresponsive but breathing
Between “conscious” and “cardiac arrest” there's a third state: unresponsive to voice and touch, but breathing normally. Both must be true at once.
Unresponsive? Call 911 right away, on speaker; check breathing while it connects. Tilt the head back, lift the chin, and for no more than ten seconds look, listen, and feel for breathing with your cheek. Occasional gasps, rasping, single breaths with pauses aren't breathing — they're a sign of cardiac arrest.
Breathing normally? Turn them onto their side — the recovery position. Its one purpose is to keep the airway open so nothing runs into it. Nothing by mouth: an unresponsive person can't swallow or protect their airway.
Once you've turned them, don't leave. Breathing is checked constantly. If it turns slow, noisy, gasping, or stops, that's cardiac arrest: compressions, then the usual steps.
Two cases where you don't turn them. First, a suspected injury: a fall from a height, a crash, a dive. Don't move them; keep the head and neck in line with the body. But if there's no other way to keep the airway open, turn them: an open airway matters more than fears for the spine. Second, the person comes to and resists: don't force the position.
Example: a neighbor is lying in the stairwell, unresponsive, breathing evenly, no sign of a fall. Call, turn him onto his side, and stay with him until EMS arrives.
Lesson notes
Unresponsive but breathing
Between “conscious” and “cardiac arrest” there's a third state: unresponsive to voice and touch, but breathing normally. Both must be true at once.
Unresponsive? Call 911 right away, on speaker; check breathing while it connects. Tilt the head back, lift the chin, and for no more than ten seconds look, listen, and feel for breathing with your cheek. Occasional gasps, rasping, single breaths with pauses aren't breathing — they're a sign of cardiac arrest.
Breathing normally? Turn them onto their side — the recovery position. Its one purpose is to keep the airway open so nothing runs into it. Nothing by mouth: an unresponsive person can't swallow or protect their airway.
Once you've turned them, don't leave. Breathing is checked constantly. If it turns slow, noisy, gasping, or stops, that's cardiac arrest: compressions, then the usual steps.
Two cases where you don't turn them. First, a suspected injury: a fall from a height, a crash, a dive. Don't move them; keep the head and neck in line with the body. But if there's no other way to keep the airway open, turn them: an open airway matters more than fears for the spine. Second, the person comes to and resists: don't force the position.
Example: a neighbor is lying in the stairwell, unresponsive, breathing evenly, no sign of a fall. Call, turn him onto his side, and stay with him until EMS arrives.