A persistent, but wrong and potentially dangerous belief
It can lead well-meaning people to badly advised things with fatal consequences.
So that does not happen to you, we’ll explain what you should do when a person is unconscious.
Can we swallow our tongues?
The tongue is anchored to the floor of the mouth by the frenulum, a piece of tissue that ensures that we cannot swallow our tongue.
Although there are situations and positions where the tongue can temporarily block the airways and prevent airflow. But we cannot swallow the tongue
When we are unconscious, the tongue can be loose and fall towards the throat. This is one of the reasons why people are intubated during some surgeries and in the emergency room.
But when the tongue is obstructed the pharynx, there is no sudden cardiac arrest, a striking snore is heard.
Contrary to popular belief, one of the worst things that can be done with an unconscious person or that is having a seizure, is to try to put something in his mouth or stick his tongue out. It is very likely that we end up causing a wound or a bite on our fingers.
The biggest problem when a person is unconscious or is suffering from seizures is that they suffocate by their own bodily fluids, such as saliva and vomit. When a person is unconscious, the cough reflex is suppressed, so they can drown in their own fluids.
What to do before an unconscious person?
The most important thing is to stay calm. Although it can be complicated, it is paramount.
1. Put it in a position of resuscitation: face up with arms and legs aligned on a rigid surface and with the thorax exposed.
2. Open the airway: place one hand on the forehead and with the other pull the chin up, to prevent the tongue prevents the passage of air to the lungs.
3. Start 30 chest compressions in the center of the chest.
4. Make 2 insufflations with the open airway (front-chin) and the blocked nose.
Alternating 30 compressions and 2 insufflations at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.
