At a Glance What is a Blackout or Fainting? What you need to know. Specialists in Blackouts and Fainting Our cardiology consultants are specialists in the causes, treatment and prevention of blackouts and fainting. Contact Us To speak with a specialist about blackouts and fainting, contact our team today. Visit Digestive Health.
Visit Digestive Surgery. Visit Endocrinology. Visit Enhanced Breast Screening. Visit Heart Health. Visit Lung Health. Visit Orthopaedics. Visit Surgery Centre. If this happens, they will not remember anything that they did while they were drinking. Fragmentary blackouts tend to affect only patches of memory, so a person may be able to piece together a memory on prompting.
If someone has drunk too much alcohol, they may have the following symptoms of alcohol intoxication:. If a person is showing symptoms of severe alcohol intoxication, it is important to call the emergency services for treatment. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism , a very high blood-alcohol concentration may result in a person struggling to remain conscious.
In the most severe cases of alcohol intoxication, they may even fall into a coma. Due to this, it is really important to get someone emergency help if their condition is deteriorating.
In cases where someone who has drunk too much needs first aid, people should :. The American Heart Association AHA describe a syncope blackout as a short temporary loss of consciousness that happens when not enough blood reaches the brain.
People may also refer to this type of blackout as fainting. Low blood pressure typically causes syncope blackouts because the heart cannot pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the brain. A neurally mediated syncope is usually benign and requires no further treatment. This type of syncope tends to occur more in children and young adults. A cardiac syncope is more serious as it could signal an underlying problem with the heart.
Tachycardia, bradycardia, or other types of hypotension could cause a cardiac syncope. If a person does not get treatment, they are at risk of complications or even sudden cardiac death. A doctor may prescribe fludrocortisone to reduce blackouts in people who experience neurally mediated syncope.
If anyone feels as though they are about to faint, they should sit or lie down so that they do not injure themselves if they fall unconscious. If a person is experiencing syncope blackouts, a doctor may request an electrocardiogram EKG to see whether there are any underlying problems with the heart.
They may also order a tilt test. During this test, a person lies down on a board that moves to change their position while healthcare professionals measure their blood pressure and heart rate.
A disturbance of neuronal activity in the brain can cause an epileptic episode. These include:. Orthostatic hypotension : this is a fall in blood pressure on standing up, which can cause fainting.
It can occur:. Cardiac syncope : this occurs due to an underlying heart problem. There may be a family history of sudden death. The faint may be preceded by chest pain or the sensation of having a 'thumping heart' palpitations and may happen during exercise. These details will help the doctor to make a diagnosis.
Your doctor will examine you. They will check your heart, including your blood pressure when sitting and standing and your pulse. You may be asked to have a heart tracing an electrocardiogram, or ECG. You may have blood tests for anaemia and diabetes. Further tests of your heart and nervous system may be necessary. Give yourself a check-up with a general blood profile, now available in Patient Access. The most common cause of blacking out is fainting. Other causes include epileptic seizures , syncope due to anxiety psychogenic pseudosyncope and other rare causes of faints.
Other causes of blacking out may be due to low blood sugar hypoglycaemia and lack of oxygen hypoxia from a variety of causes. It may be due to over-breathing hyperventilation but this is rare. You may also black out after a fall or blow to the head or due to excess alcohol or street drugs.
Strokes and mini strokes transient ischaemic attacks can also result in a blackout. Prolonged blackout, confusion after the event, incomplete recovery and tongue biting all suggest that the cause is not a simple faint.
Treatment will depend on the likely cause of your blackout. You may be asked to keep a diary of your faints, including what you were doing when each happened. Most people will only need to see their GP but you may be referred for further investigation and treatment at a hospital. Others can be life-threatening," explains Dr.
Joel M. Geiderman , co-chair of Emergency Medicine at Cedars-Sinai. In younger people, the causes tend to be more benign. Maybe they haven't eaten or they're dehydrated. In older people, fainting is sometimes a sign cardiac issues, such as atrial fibrillation. What you should do: While you may recover quickly and fully from a fainting spell, you should always tell your doctor about the episode.
Chung says. If you see someone else faint, place the person face up and raise their legs above their heart level. If the person doesn't "come to" within 1 minute, call Determining the underlying cause of fainting or a seizure usually requires a visit to your doctor, who will likely do cardiac and neurological tests.
In either case, it's always best to get to the bottom of it," Dr. Skip to content. Fainting vs.
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