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Fainting / Unconscious Person

Check response and breathing. Recovery position if breathing normally.

criticalHIGH-CONFIDENCE GUIDANCEReviewed 2026-08-18
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RECOGNIZE

  • The person does not respond to your voice or to a firm shoulder tap.
  • Fainting usually recovers within a minute; true unconsciousness does not.
  • Look for injury, medical alert bracelets, medicines and diabetes devices.

CALL

  • Call 112 for anyone who stays unresponsive for more than a moment.
  • Call 112 for any unresponsive person with injury, abnormal breathing, or who does not fully recover.

DO NOW

  1. 1CHECK RESPONSETap the shoulders and shout: 'Can you hear me?'
  2. 2OPEN THE AIRWAY AND CHECK BREATHINGTilt the head back, lift the chin, and look at the chest for up to 10 seconds.
  3. 3NOT BREATHING NORMALLY? CALL 112 AND START CPRGasping is not normal breathing — treat it as cardiac arrest.
  4. 4BREATHING NORMALLY? RECOVERY POSITIONRoll them onto their side, head tilted back, so the airway stays clear.
  5. 5CALL 112Stay with them and report their condition.
  6. 6KEEP CHECKING BREATHINGRecheck breathing every minute until help arrives.

DO NOT DO

  • DO NOT give food, drink or medicine to an unconscious person.
  • DO NOT slap the face or throw water to 'wake them up'.
  • DO NOT put a pillow under the head of an unresponsive person — it can block the airway.
  • DO NOT move someone with a suspected spinal injury unless the airway needs protecting.
  • DO NOT leave them alone.

WHILE WAITING FOR HELP

  • Stay beside them and keep the airway open.
  • Note how long they have been unresponsive and any events before the collapse.
  • Keep them warm.
  • Collect their medicines for the ambulance crew.

WHEN TO ESCALATE

  • Breathing stops or becomes abnormal → Cardiac Arrest flow.
  • Seizure begins → Seizure flow.
  • Severe bleeding → Severe Bleeding flow.

AFTERCARE

  • Anyone who lost consciousness needs medical assessment to find the cause.
  • A person who fainted should get up slowly and only when fully recovered.
Open CPR Metronome

CPR rhythm · 110 per minute

PUSH

Push hard in the centre of the chest. At least 5 cm deep, not more than about 6 cm. Let the chest come fully back up each time.

Keep going until the person breathes normally or trained responders take over.

MEDICAL SOURCES

  • European Resuscitation Council

    ERC Guidelines — Basic Life Support and First Aid

    Published / updated 2021 · Evidence reviewed for this app on 2026-08-18

    Open source

  • American Red Cross

    Focused Updates and Guidelines for First Aid

    Published / updated 2024 · Evidence reviewed for this app on 2026-08-18

  • American Heart Association

    Guidelines for CPR and ECC — Basic Life Support / First Aid

    Published / updated 2020 · Evidence reviewed for this app on 2026-08-18

    Open source

This content is educational first-aid guidance and does not replace emergency medical care. Guidelines can change. Verify clinical guidance periodically.

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Not Breathing / Unconscious (Cardiac Arrest)Heart Attack / Chest PainStrokeChokingSevere Allergic Reaction (Anaphylaxis)
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