American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [133]
6. Avoid blowing, moving, or touching your nose for at least 12 hours after the bleeding has stopped.
Fainting
Fainting is a brief loss of consciousness caused by a reduced blood supply to the brain. A person may feel faint because of a temporary drop in blood pressure caused by blood pressure medication, getting up from a sitting or lying position too quickly, exercising too strenuously, heat exhaustion (see page 166), or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia; see page 897). People usually recover from a fainting spell after a few minutes.
If a person feels faint or has fainted:
1. Lay the person down with his or her legs elevated 8 to 12 inches. If the person is conscious, have him or her sit down and slowly bend forward so the head is between the knees.
Lay the person down with the legs elevated
Have the person sit down and slowly bend forward
2. If a person remains unconscious for longer than a few minutes, call or have someone call 911 or your local emergency number, or send someone for help. See page 155 if the person is not breathing.
3. Loosen any tight clothing, especially around the neck.
4. Bathe the person’s face with cool water (but don’t pour or throw water on the face).
5. Do not give the person anything to eat or drink until he or she is fully conscious. If you think the fainting may have been caused by dehydration, give the person cool water if he or she is conscious and not vomiting.
6. If the person is vomiting, turn the person on his or her side with the head tilted back slightly (to open the airway and prevent choking on vomit).
Knocked-Out Tooth
A whole tooth that has been knocked out and is not cracked or otherwise damaged can usually be successfully reimplanted by a dentist within 30 minutes. Touch only the crown (or top part) of the tooth; never hold the tooth by the root. Do not try to reimplant a baby tooth. Get the person to a dentist as quickly as possible.
To save a permanent tooth:
1. If the person is conscious and the tooth is still in the person’s mouth, have him or her roll the tooth around in his or her mouth to coat it with saliva. If the tooth has fallen out of the mouth and is dirty, quickly rinse it in cool water (without touching the root), but don’t use soap, and don’t scrub or dry the tooth.
2. Holding it by the crown with a clean cloth or piece of gauze, immediately place the tooth firmly back in the socket. Have the person hold the tooth in place with his or her tongue or fingers or by gently biting down on it until you can get the person to a dentist.
3. If the tooth cannot be replaced in the socket immediately, place the tooth in the salt solution found in most first-aid kits, which is specifically designed for transporting teeth that have been knocked out. If you don’t have the salt solution, place the tooth in a container of the person’s saliva or of cold whole-fat milk (not skim milk), which should keep the tooth alive until you can get to the dentist. Use regular saline solution or tap water with a little salt in it to preserve the tooth only if you can’t use the person’s saliva or whole-fat milk. Do not transport the tooth in cloth or gauze or let the tooth dry out.
Emergency Childbirth
Sometimes childbirth occurs suddenly and unexpectedly or labor proceeds too fast to get to a hospital in time for delivery. If the woman’s contractions are about 2 minutes apart, if she feels like pushing, or if the baby’s head is visible in the vaginal opening, birth will usually occur very soon.
Childbirth is a natural process, and most deliveries do not have complications. However, delivery is bloody. Call or have someone call 911 or your local emergency number, or send someone for help. Try to get the woman to the nearest hospital emergency department if possible. If not, a doctor may be able to give you instructions over the phone. Do not try to delay or prevent the birth by crossing the woman’s legs or pushing on the baby’s head, which can seriously harm the baby.
To help deliver a baby:
1. Put clean sheets on a bed (with a rubber sheet