Know what to do when someone briefly loses consciousness or has a seizure: mostly stay out of the way, protect them from injury, and notice in time when it's no longer a faint.
The main thing: don't interfere
Fainting, seizures, low blood sugar
Here you barely use your hands: keep the person from getting hurt and notice when it's no longer a faint.
Fainting. If they don't respond, call 911 at once, on speaker, as always. Then lay them down, raise their legs, give them air, and watch their chest. Don't sit them up or stand them up, and give no water or medicine by mouth. Smelling salts don't help: they don't tell you whether the person is breathing normally.
If they come to within seconds, that's enough. If they don't come to but breathe normally, it's Lesson 9: onto their side, and stay until EMS arrives. Unresponsive plus abnormal breathing is cardiac arrest: tell the dispatcher and start compressions.
Seizure. Clear away hard and sharp objects, put something soft under their head, and note the time. Put nothing in their mouth and don't hold them down. When it stops, check their breathing and turn them onto their side. Always call if it lasts over five minutes, repeats, is a first seizure, causes an injury, or the person is pregnant or doesn't wake up.
Low blood sugar. If they're alert and can swallow, give a sugary drink or sugar. If consciousness is impaired, nothing by mouth: it goes into the airway.
What it looks like: on a bus, a man turns pale and slides off his seat. He doesn't respond, so you call on speaker, lay him down, and raise his legs: he breathes evenly and opens his eyes.
Lesson notes
Fainting, seizures, low blood sugar
Here you barely use your hands: keep the person from getting hurt and notice when it's no longer a faint.
Fainting. If they don't respond, call 911 at once, on speaker, as always. Then lay them down, raise their legs, give them air, and watch their chest. Don't sit them up or stand them up, and give no water or medicine by mouth. Smelling salts don't help: they don't tell you whether the person is breathing normally.
If they come to within seconds, that's enough. If they don't come to but breathe normally, it's Lesson 9: onto their side, and stay until EMS arrives. Unresponsive plus abnormal breathing is cardiac arrest: tell the dispatcher and start compressions.
Seizure. Clear away hard and sharp objects, put something soft under their head, and note the time. Put nothing in their mouth and don't hold them down. When it stops, check their breathing and turn them onto their side. Always call if it lasts over five minutes, repeats, is a first seizure, causes an injury, or the person is pregnant or doesn't wake up.
Low blood sugar. If they're alert and can swallow, give a sugary drink or sugar. If consciousness is impaired, nothing by mouth: it goes into the airway.
What it looks like: on a bus, a man turns pale and slides off his seat. He doesn't respond, so you call on speaker, lay him down, and raise his legs: he breathes evenly and opens his eyes.