What is happening ?

Fainting can occur following a shock, for example if you take the umbrella on your head, or for no apparent reason (heat stroke, blood pressure or blood sugar disorder, drug abuse ...). It is necessary to warn the helpers , it is they who will decide to send a team or not.

I take action

I check the breathing by observing if the abdomen goes up and down. If in doubt, I approach my cheek from the victim's mouth to feel the air pass. If she does not breathe, I begin a heart massage. I clear the airways. When one loses consciousness, all the muscles relax. The risk ? The tongue that falls in the back of the throat and can block breathing . To free the passage of the air, I remove all that tightens (tie, belt ...), I place a hand on the forehead of the victim and I tilted his head slightly back. At the same time, I lift the tip of the chin with the other hand to take off the tongue of the throat.

Do's and Don'ts

It is completely useless to slap the person or try to make it drink before she regains consciousness, she could choke.

And after ?

If it is a minor who is uncomfortable, I force him to wait for help . On the other hand, I can not force an adult to stay until the arrival of firefighters. I try to convince him to consult because loss of consciousness sometimes signals an invisible pathology (heart rhythm disorder ...).

Thanks to Dr. Pascal Cassan, doctor-advisor of the French Red Cross. If you want to be trained in first aid, we go to the caravan of the Red Cross which runs throughout the summer in 10 departments. More info on croix-rouge.fr