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Health: What we can learn from Charly Boy’s fainting episode

The Crusader and Leader of the Resume or Resign protest, Charlie Oputa, popularly known as Charley Boy, was reported to have collapsed during the Resume or Resign protest on the 8th of August, 2017. While discussing correctness of using tear gas on civilians driving home a point and while we were all lost in the debate on if indeed the President who was then in London for treatment should resign, many Nigerians missed the opportunity of learning from a near fatal mistake which was made in response to the collapse of the Ace ShowBiz personality.

As soon as he collapsed, those standing close to Mr. Oputa were seen trying to lift him up and this is a common mistake people make with people who lose consciousness.

If a person faints all of a sudden due to exhaustion or previous underlying medical condition, he or she should be laid on the back, away from any harmful objects/places and whatever constrictive cloths they are putting on should be loosen and he or she should not be pull up immediately.

Speaking to Dr Raji Saheed, a Neuro-Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatry Hospital in Benin City, Edo State on the procedure to treat someone that fainted he said the first thing you carry out is resuscitation. You should ensure that the person his breathing well and that circulation his okay. Then you check the mouth to ensure that the tongue is not falling backward because it could obstruct the airway thus resulting in asphyxiation. What follows is to establish a patent airway, using the mouth-to-mouth or mask to mouth resuscitation. He also stressed the need to loosen tight clothing around the neck, waist and wrists.

If the chest is not moving, you may have to give chest compression, 30 compression to two mouth breaths (mouth-to-mouth, mask to mouth breathing).

You must ensure that circulation comes first before the mouth breathing i.e Circulation-Airway-Breathing.

Dr. Raji further explained that such a person should not be lifted immediately as this could pose serious health implications,including brain death. Instead, he should be laid flat on the ground during the resuscitation measures, afterwards turn the victim’s body on a left lateral position. He reiterated that the first aid treatment should be given to the person before being taken to a nearby hospital/medical facility.

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