Unconscious adults and children

Everyone who is unconscious needs help quickly. They can suffocate if the airway is blocked. Giving free air is easy, but it is urgent!

Assess awareness

Talk to the person.
– Is he or she awake?
If you don’t get answer, shake and shout to see if you get a reaction.

The goal is to find out if the injured person is alive and breathing. If you do not get any response the person unconscious and need quick help.    

Give free airways

Free airways is the most important, regardless of the cause of the unconsciousnes. An unconscious person is not able to keep airways open by them self.     

To give free airways: 

  • Pull the person’s chin forward, to give an underbite
  • Bend the person’s head backwards

Hold grip on the head and chin .

If the person has been exposed to a serious accident, such as a traffic accident at high speed or a high fall, the neck may be injured . You should then lift your head to the normal position, not backwards. Pull the chin forward into an underbite to get free airway. Free airway is the most important thing so that the person is not suffocated. Keep your head in a firm position and do not move it.

Check for normal breathing

# See – feel – listen

Check if the person is breathing normally. Place your cheek close to the persons mouth and nose – feel for a warm stream of air. Look down at the chest and abdomen for movement. Use up to 10 seconds to determine if there is breathing or not. Normal breathing give smooth movements, and you can hear and feel smooth airflow from the mouth and nose. Er det ingen eller unormal pust må du starte hjerte-lungeredning. Gjør dette

  • Is the person unconscious but breathing normally? 
  • Have you checked the breathing and it is normal?

Make sure for one minute that breathing is still normal, and then lay the person on their side:  

  1. Sit on your knees next to the person and place you’re the arm closest to you to the side. Grasp the leg on the opposite side and lift the knee so that it stands up at an angle.
  2. Take the arm on the opposite side towards you and place it on the person’s own cheek. Hold your hand against the person’s hand and cheek, have control of the person’s head.
  3. Drag the person’s bent knee over towards your side and roll the person over to the side. Now you can take out your own hand.
  4. Bend the head backwards. The person’s mouth points now slitly towards the ground. Pull the knee upwards towards the person’s abdomen, so that the leg is at an angle and provides good support. The person should lie on the side and not slip into laying on the stomach.
Now the person is lying on his side. The airways is free as the tongue slides forward. If the person has something in their mouth, it will flow out. It also makes it easier for the person to breathe. Cover the person to prevent cooling. You must now follow the person and look for normal breathing . Wait for the ambulance.

National digital learning arena