Health Tip: First Aid for Fainting
(HealthDay News) -- Fainting occurs when the brain temporarily doesn't receive enough blood, says Mayo Clinic.
Fainting may have no known medical cause, or it can be a sign of a serious disorder. Because of this, always treat fainting as a medical emergency, Mayo says.
If someone faints, Mayo urges you to:
- Position the person on his or her back.
- If there are no injuries and the person is breathing, raise the person's legs above heart level.
- Loosen belts, collars and other restrictive clothing.
- Don't get the person up too quickly.
- If the person doesn't regain consciousness within one minute, call 911.
If the person isn't breathing, begin CPR and call 911. Continue CPR until help arrives or the person begins to breathe.
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