If you have a history of fainting and have been evaluated medically, follow your doctor's instructions for how to prevent fainting episodes. For example, if you know the situations that cause you to faint, avoid or change them. Avoid sudden changes in posture. Get up from a lying or seated position slowly and gradually. When having blood drawn (if this makes you faint), tell the technician and make sure that you are lying down.
Immediate treatment for someone who has fainted includes:
Checking the person's airway and breathing. If necessary, call 911 and begin rescue breathing and CPR.
Loosening tight clothing around the neck.
Keeping the affected person lying down for at least 10 - 15 minutes, preferably in a cool and quiet space. If the person cannot lie down, have him sit forward and lower his head below the levels of the shoulders, between the knees.
If vomiting has occurred, turning the person onto one side to prevent choking
Elevating the feet above the level of the heart (about 12 inches).
Call your health care provider if:
Call 911 if the person who fainted:
Fell from a height, especially if injured or bleeding.
Does not regain consciousness quickly (within a couple of minutes).
Is pregnant or over 50 years old.
Has diabetes (check medical identification bracelets).
Feels chest pain, pressure, or discomfort; pounding or irregular heartbeat; or has loss of speech, visual disturbances, or inability to move one or more limbs.
Has convulsions, tongue trauma, or loss of bowel control.
Even if it's not an emergency situation, people should be evaluated by a doctor if they have never fainted before, if they are fainting frequently, or if they have new symptoms associated with fainting. Call for an appointment to be seen as soon as possible.
What to expect at your health care provider's office:
When you see your doctor, the focus of the questions will be to determine whether you simply fainted, or if something else happened (like a seizure), and to figure out the cause of the fainting episode.
The questions will include:
How would you describe the dizziness that you felt before fainting? Did you feel light-headed, off-balance, or like the room was spinning?
Was the faint associated with convulsions (jerking muscle movements), tongue trauma, or loss of control of your bowels?
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 this the first time you fainted?
When did you faint? What were you doing before it occurred? For example, were you going to the bathroom, coughing, or standing for a long time?
Does fainting occur when you change positions -- for example, go from lying to standing?
The physical examination will focus on your heart, lungs, and nervous system. Your blood pressure may be measured in several different positions.
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.
Review Date: 6/3/2005
Reviewed By: Thomas A. Owens, M.D., Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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