The unconscious state always contains a certain danger. A person who has lost consciousness does not feel anything, his pain threshold is lowered, he does not understand what is happening to him, is not able to help himself. Therefore, the victim needs medical attention.
An unconscious state is characterized by a serious threat of choking on vomiting, blood, mucus and other masses that rush out of the digestive tract outward, clogging the airways along the way. However, more often in practice there is another problem, which is considered more dangerous than the movement of vomit, is the displacement of the root of the tongue.
What it is?
The relaxation of the muscles of the lower jaw and the root muscles of the tongue while the person is unconscious will inevitably lead to the movement of the tongue from its usual position in the larynx region. This phenomenon in the people and medicine has received the name "retraction of the tongue." It is characterized by a shift in the muscles of the tongue to the wall of the larynx, which leads to the cessation of air flow into the lungs, resulting in suffocation, in other words - asphyxiation.
Sinking the root of the tongue is primarily dangerous because, if you do not provide the necessary assistance, a person will suffocate due to lack of air. Asphyxia resulting from a shift in the tongue leads to a decrease in the level of oxygen in the tissues and an increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the blood. As a result, a person dies within 10 minutes from suffocation.
Causes of tongue retraction
The main reason for the development of this pathological condition is the relaxation of the root of the tongue and the muscles of the lower jaw, which partly control the position of the tongue in the oral cavity. So, for example, if the victim has a broken lower jaw on both sides, then the likelihood of a displacement of the root of the tongue is quite high.
However, in medical practice, such a reason for the displacement of the tongue as a broken jaw is rare. More often, such a phenomenon takes place during a long coma, in which many muscles atrophy, including the tongue. Tongue retraction in a patient can occur after anesthesia is applied before surgery. Also, pathology is observed in victims of accidents and other accidents that entail severe pain shock.
Epilepsy as one of the reasons
There are still many myths about swallowing the tongue during an epileptic seizure. Some people who are not knowledgeable in medicine try to open the mouth of an epileptic during a seizure with a spoon, pens, their own fingers, simultaneously fixing the open jaws with a stick or other objects. It should be noted that such events will not only not help the patient, but can also break his teeth and damage the mucous membrane of the oral cavity.
The only way a passer-by can help a person suffering from an epileptic seizure is to try to protect the space around him as much as possible: remove hot and sharp objects in order to prevent head injury, lay soft clothes under it. During an attack, a person can bite his tongue, but he will never swallow it for another reason, that during an epileptic seizure, all the muscles of the body are extremely tense and hypertonic.
However, retraction of the tongue can really happen, not only during an attack, but after it, when the muscles, on the contrary, are in a state of hypotension. In this case, the relaxation of the root of the tongue can cause its displacement from the usual position and subsequent blockage of the larynx.
The appearance of pathology
As mentioned, the main symptom and at the same time the most negative consequence of a tongue displacement is suffocation. A person cannot breathe air, since the path to the lungs is blocked. He also cannot exhale air filled with carbon dioxide, as a result of which the blood circulation is disturbed in the body. This leads to a change in the complexion of the patient, it acquires a bluish tint. The longer a person does not receive the necessary amount of oxygen, the further the so-called cyanosis spreads: the upper part of the chest becomes blue.
A person whose tongue root has become entangled begins to sweat profusely, the veins on his neck swell and increase in size. He begins to make reflex involuntary movements with his arms and legs, rushing from side to side because of the inability to take a full breath. The breathing in itself is hoarse, arrhythmic (due to excessive tension of the intercostal muscles and neck muscles).
How to help?
First of all, a person who has a displacement of the tongue should be placed in a horizontal position. After performing this manipulation, it is necessary to throw his head back: the left hand is placed on the forehead of the victim, and the right hand at this time lifts the neck, a latch (pillow, roller) is placed under it. After tilting the head, you need to extend its lower jaw. To do this, its right and left corners are taken with both hands, shifted down and then rise forward. If breathing is restored, then the person should be flipped to one side to prevent repeated retraction.
If these measures did not help to restore airway patency with tongue retraction, then you need to move on to a proven and guaranteed way to stop the state of suffocation by getting rid of the causative factor. In this case, it is taking out the tongue from the oral cavity and fixing it outside. Manipulation involves pulling the tongue out of the mouth with the help of fingers wrapped in cloth, tweezers, forceps and, in fact, any tool that can hold and hold the tongue. The next step is to fix it at the chin with a band-aid or bandage.
If the root shift of the tongue occurred due to a fracture of the lower jaw, then assistance should immediately begin with its removal from the mouth and subsequent fixation at the chin. Subsequent manipulations, such as matching and connecting fragments of a broken jaw, can only be done in a specialized institution. Also, in carriages of an ambulance called, doctors can provide professional assistance in lowering the tongue, as they have devices for artificial ventilation of the lungs. A special duct is placed between the root of the tongue and the wall of the pharynx, providing the lungs with an influx of air.
What can not be done
All manipulations regarding the movement of the victim in space and changes in the position of his head and neck are contraindicated if a person has suspicions of a fracture of the cervical spine. Any inaccurate movement in relation to the injured can harm him even more. In this case, changing the position of the jaw forward and down is enough.
It is also worth noting that some citizens have firmly entrenched in their heads the myth that it is necessary to remove the tongue and pin it with a pin, a needle to the collar of the clothes or the cheek of the victim. Doing this is absolutely contraindicated, and pointless. Moreover, first aid for the retraction of the tongue should not be provided by such barbaric methods. To fix the tongue, an ordinary adhesive plaster attached to the chin is suitable. Moreover, fixation by itself is necessary in extreme cases, usually a change in the position of the head and neck is enough.
Prevention of Tongue Shift
When a person loses consciousness, the muscles of his body relax, including the tongue, which can fall to the back of the larynx, causing an attack of suffocation. This does not happen so often with ordinary fainting, but you should still take a series of activities that aim to prevent tongue retraction. Its main principle is tipping the victim’s head back by raising the neck and placing a roller under it. You can also attach the tongue with a band-aid or bandage passing through the bottom of the lower jaw with fastening around the forehead. If the jaw is broken, then you need to act differently: you need to put a person on his stomach face down.
Conclusion
Tongue retraction is a rather dangerous phenomenon, which consists in displacing its root and blocking the airways. A similar condition occurs when the muscles of the body, including the tongue, relax during the unconscious state, coma and anesthesia, as well as fractures of the lower jaw.
When the tongue is shifted, a person begins to suffocate, the veins on his neck swell, his breathing becomes hoarse, his face gradually turns blue. You can help a person by throwing his head back and changing the position of the jaw. Fixing the tongue outside the oral cavity also helps by attaching it to the chin, but by no means with pins or needles.