Consciousness

We divide the disorders of consciousness into:

• quantitative disorders - this is characterised by the reduced patient's ability to respond adequately to the external stimuli
• qualitative disorders - the patient is awake with an inappropriate content of consciousness, i.e. disrupted self-awarenesses, disorientation in time and place

Unconsciousness

• a mental state that occurs when the central nervous system is malfunctioning
• in general, unconsciousness includes all quantitative disorders of consciousness
• in the narrow sense, we understand unconsciousness as a synonym for coma
• the patient's ability to respond to external stimuli is impaired according to the degree and severity of the disorder of consciousness. In the first aid, we assess the patient's ability to respond to asking and shaking the shoulder
• in the most severe state, the patient does not respond to any external stimuli
• once consciousness is impaired, the muscle tone of the tongue and pharyngeal muscles is decreased
• the root of the tongue could obstruct the patient's airway and thus cause the arrest of the breathing and, subsequently, of the circulation
• there are some states of impaired consciousness in which the simple manoeuvre of opening the airway by head tilt and chin lift ensures the efficient breathing; in these cases, it is enough to tilt the patient's head back and thus keep the airway open until the ambulance arrives

What does the unconscious patient look like?

• his/her eyes are closed, he/she appears to be asleep
• he/she is not moving and is lifeless
• when the rescuer handles the patient, he/she does not either resist or help them
• he/she does not maintain the open airway without any help (we must hold the patient's head in a tilt position)

Among possible causes of unconsciousness with the preserved breathing, we include the following examples:

• alcohol poisoning
• hypo- or hyperglycemia
• head injury
• CO poisoning
• hypothermia etc.