‘Don’t fan, slap or pour water on someone who has fainted’ – Prof. Andrew Ugburo

A consultant surgeon, Prof. Andrew Ugburo, says fanning, foot slapping or pouring water to revive someone who has fainted could make them aspirate.

He further expressed concerns that forcing liquid such as glucose drink and water into the throat of such an individual in the process of resuscitation could compound the condition.

Ugburo said the Federal Government has a duty to empower the people on the act of Basic Trauma Life Support.

“Many of those things they do – pouring water, fanning the patient, mixing sugar or glucose in water – are of no use.

“In fact, they are dangerous because trying to force anything into the mouth of a fainted person can make him aspirate — that is, the fluid you are giving him can go into the lungs instead of the stomach.

“If it enters the lungs, you would have compounded the problem of that person.

“There is what we call Basic Trauma Life Support, which should be taught to every citizen of the country, but it is not being done.

“I have seen people in Church and football field lose consciousness. And the next minute, you see people trying to fan them and pour water on their bodies,” he said.

According to him, when a rescue party cannot revive or do resuscitation for patients, the next best thing to do is to rush the person to the hospital.

He emphasised that anything outside the proper resuscitation of a patient is tantamount to a delay that can lead to death.

On the process of basic trauma life support, the expert also advised Nigerians to take advantage of several videos available for free on YouTube and health-related sites.

“The government must invest in health education for its citizens because doctors, nurses and emergency medical personnel cannot be everywhere.

“If ordinary citizens are trained to be their brother’s keeper, we will have lower fatality from accident, gunshot wounds and so on,” he said.

He maintained that what most unconscious people need is oxygen to start breathing normally again.

“There is something obstructing the throat and he cannot breathe. If that object is removed, he starts breathing normally again.

“But if you fan or pour water on the patient, you have not helped him. It is better to take him to the hospital by any means that is fast enough.

“Basic trauma life support is very important to ensure that the patient is breathing. The commonest cause of death is either the respiration of the victim stop or the heart stop,” he said.

Ugburo said anything one can do to restore victim’s heartbeat and breathing within five minutes of the accident would save the patient.

“It doesn’t make sense pouring water, fanning, tapping the hand, slapping the foot with slippers and screaming out the name of a patient to revive him. What he just needs is oxygen to make the blood flow again,” he said.