THE CHINA MAIL FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT, APRIL 8, 1988
FAINTING IN CROWDS
Correct Treatment (By Our Medical Correspondent)
T is always a matter of sur-
prise and alarm when
ap- parently healthy people lose con- sciousness from quite trivial causes. This is especially likely to happen in crowds, and example plays a very large part in the causation.
The loss of consciousness can be due to various causes, the most common of which is faint- ing or syncope. This syncope means that, for & brief period there is an inadequate supply of blood to the brain. Long stand- ing causes a great deal of the blood of the body to drain to the legs at the expense of the upper portion of the body. Excite- ment and anxiety cause contrac- tion of some of the blood vessels. with consequent temporary anae- mig of the brain. This causes the patient to collapse, and this collapse alone into a lying or sitting position usually causes a redistribution of the blood, with quick recovery.
The Treatment
The symptoms of syncope or fainting are temporary **loss of vision, palour, cold perspira- tion on the forehead, and loss of consciousness. The treatment, is to get the head low as soon as possible, either in a sitting posi- tion with the head between the knees or in a recumbent posi- tion; this posture alone is suffi- cient treatment, but recovery is aided by the application of smell- ing-salts, fanning, and a hot
drink.
It is a mistake to assume that any organic disease of the heart or blood-vessel is at the root of a fainting attack.
In all crowds such as are gath- ering for the present celebra- tions in Sydney, many attacks of this nature occur, and there is little, if any, risk attached to these.
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OFL
Apart from these attacks are cases of heat exhaustion, which are likely to occur in crowed sit- uation both indoor and outdoor. These are more serious, and oc- cur in only the weakly and de- licate, and not as do the others in the quite healthy. The symp- toms are similar, but come more slowly and are more pro- longed. If rapid recovery from a faint does not follow the treat- ment outlined above, the patient must be kept recumbent and with plenty of fresh air until re- covery occurs. It is dangerous to sit these patients up, and to attempt to remove them too soon.
Homeward bound. A photograph taken at the Children's Hunt ("Mail" photo).
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