Unconscious Casualty
Unconscious Casualty
Unconsciousness is the ‘interruption of normal activity in the brain’. It can disturb the body’s natural reflexes such as coughing and gagging.
If a casualty is lying on their back while unconscious, their airway can become blocked by the tongue or from vomit. Placing the casualty into the recovery position will prevent this from happening.
Treatment
- Place an unconscious casualty into the recovery position and call 999/112.
- Monitor the airway and breathing.
- If breathing isn’t normal, or stops, start CPR.
Levels of responsiveness
A casualty’s level of responsiveness can be assessed using the AVPU scale (Alert, Voice, Pressure, Unresponsive).
- Alert – the casualty is fully alert and oriented. The casualty will be able to answer direct questions with no sign of confusion.
- Voice – the casualty responds to your voice when you speak to them. But they may be confused, use inappropriate words, utter sounds rather than speak or make no verbal response.
- Pressure/pain – the casualty responds to pressure or pain, for example pinching the earlobe.
- Unresponsive – the casualty is completely unresponsive to speech and physical stimulus.
Unconscious Casualty
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