Fainting is a temporary loss of consciousness due to decreased blood flow to the brain. The episode is brief (lasting less than a couple of minutes) and is followed by a rapid and complete recovery. Affected people may feel lightheaded or dizzy before fainting.
The state of unconsciousness longer and deeper often called a coma.
Alternative Names
Syncope, Dizziness: fainting; Syncope, Vasovagal
General considerations
When you faint, you not only experience loss of knowledge but also loss of muscle tone and pallor on his face. Similarly, a person may feel weak or nauseated just before fainting and having a sense that surrounding noises are fading into the background.
Common Causes
Fainting may occur while you are urinating, defecating (especially if straining), coughing very hard, or when the person has been standing in one place too long. Fainting can also be related to fear, severe pain and emotional suffering.
A sudden drop in blood pressure can cause fainting. Blood pressure may drop suddenly if you are bleeding or severely dehydrated. It can also happen if you stand up suddenly from a lying position.
Certain medications may lead to fainting by causing a drop in blood pressure or for another reason. Common drugs that contribute to fainting include those used for anxiety, high blood pressure, nasal congestion and allergies.
Other reasons why a person may faint include hyperventilation, alcohol, drugs, low blood sugar.
Among the reasons less common but more serious disease (such as abnormal heart rhythm or heart attack) and stroke. These conditions are more likely in persons over 65 years and less likely in those younger than 40 years.
Home Care
If you have a history of fainting and have been seen by a medical professional, follow your doctor’s instructions on how to prevent these episodes. For example, if you know the situations that cause you to faint, avoid or change. Also, avoid sudden changes in posture and to rise from a sitting or lying position, do so slowly. If taking a blood sample cause you faint, tell your doctor and make sure you are lying down when you do the exam.
The immediate steps you can take when someone has fainted:
* Inspect the airway and breathing person. If necessary, call your local emergency number (112 in Spain) and begin rescue breathing and CPR.
* Loosen tight clothing around the neck.
* Keep the person lying down for at least 10 to 15 minutes, preferably in a cool and quiet space. If this is not possible, it must be to sit back and place their head between their knees.
* If vomiting has occurred, turn the person onto their side to prevent choking.
* Raise the person’s feet above heart level (about 12 inches or 30 cm).
Call your doctor if
Call your local emergency number (112 in Spain) if the person has fainted:
* Fell from a height, especially if injured or bleeding.
* Does not become alert quickly (within a couple of minutes).
* You are pregnant.
* Has over 50 years.
* Has diabetes (check medical identification bracelets).
* You feel pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest.
* Has a pounding or irregular
* Loss of speech, visual disturbances, or inability to move one or more limbs.
* Has convulsions, tongue injury, or loss of bowel control.
Even if it is not an emergency situation, people who have never fainted before, should be evaluated by a doctor if you are fainting frequently, or new symptoms associated with fainting. Call for an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.
What to Expect at Your Office
When visiting the doctor, the focus of the questions will determine whether you simply fainted, or if something else happened (like a seizure) and explain the cause of the fainting episode.
Questions may include:
* How would you describe the dizziness that you felt before fainting? Did you feel dizzy, off balance or like the room was spinning?
* Was the faint associated with convulsions (jerking muscle movements), tongue trauma, or loss of bowel control?
* When you regained consciousness were you aware of your surroundings or were you confused?
* Did you experience chest pain or heart palpitations when you fainted?
* Is it the first time you fainted?
* How did you faint? What were you doing before this happened? For example, going to the bathroom, coughing, or standing for long?
* Does fainting occur when you change positions, for example, lying to standing?
The physical examination focuses on the heart, lungs and nervous system. Blood pressure can be measured in several different positions.
Some diagnostic tests may be performed:
* ECG
Holter Monitoring *
* Chest radiograph
* Echocardiography
* EEG
References
American College of Emergency Physicians. Clinical policy: critical issues in the evaluation and management of patients presenting with syncope. Ann Emerg Med 2001; 37 (6): 771-776.
Marx J. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby, Inc; 2002.
Ganzeboom KS. Prevalence and triggers of syncope in medical students. Am J Cardiol. 2003, 91 (8): 1006-1008, A8.
ENT Consultation
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