image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Recovery_position.svg/800px-Recovery_position.svg.png
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Introduction
The recovery position is a basic first aid treatment that you've certainly come across in a first aid course. You might remember the recovery position as an easy practice. There are a couple of niceties though that I'd like to make you aware of.Indication
A person that is unconscious must be placed in recovery position in order to avoid the person from suffocating. When someone becomes unconscious, their muscles are no longer able to let the person swallow. As a result, the person would swallow their own vomit in case he or she throws up. Additionally, someone can suffocate from the tongue falling back into the airway. Surely we don't want that to happen, which is why we place the person in recovery position.First approach
The best thing to find out if a person is unconscious is to address the person by asking if everything is alright. In case the person doesn't answer, you can assume that he or she is either asleep, unconscious or, in the worst case, not breathing at all. In former times people used to lightly hurt someone by pinching their hand. Please note that this practice is no longer in use. Instead, it would be a good idea to grab the person's shoulder and simply shake it once or twice. If they are still not responding, call 144 (or 9-1-1 in the U.S.) or tell someone else to do so. Subsequently, knee down next to the person in case you haven't done that already. Before checking if the person's still breathing, you need to use a certain technique that is called the head-tilt chin-lift maneuver. The clue is in the name. To make use of this maneuver, place one hand on the person's forehead and your fingers of the other hand on the chin. Push the forehead down and lift up the chin. By doing so, you ensure that the patient's airway are not obstructed by their tongue falling back. Please remember that the head-tilt chin-lift maneuver can unly be used if you are a 100% sure that the patient does not have any neck injuries.Come closer to the person's head in order to hear whether they are breathing or not. At the same time, look towards the person's stomach so as to make out any breathing movement. It would be adivsable to do that at least for 10 seconds. If there is no breathing at all, start with a CPR immediately. In case the person is still breathing, place him or her in recovery position.
The recovery position
Unless the patient has an obvious neck injury, he or she MUST be placed in recovery position. To do so, be sure the patient lies on the back. Place one arm 90° away from the body. Then, grasp the patient's second arm as well as the leg of the same half of the body. By holding arm and leg, gently turn the person onto the side where the other arm lies. If I were you I'd ask someone to grasp the patient's head and turn it to the same side and at the same pace you turn the patient's body. Make sure the leg you just moved is bent. We don't want the patient to roll onto the stomach, do we? Not only should you bend the leg, the arm you just turned to the side should be bent as well. Following that, use the head-tilt chin-lift maneuver one more time with the aim of letting the patient inhale and exhale properly. Additionally, you can place the hand that's lying on top under the patient's cheek. Consequently, the patient will be in an absolute stable position.The best thing to do while waiting for the ambulance is to stay close to the patient. You might want to check the breathing every three or four minutes. In rare cases the patient's condition may deteriorate, which is why checking whether the patient's still breathing is a must. Generally speaking: Take care not to become anxious or even panicky. There's nothing that could go amiss, so try to stay calm and think clearly.
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Any questions on that? Feel free to add a comment or ask me in person.
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