Unconsciousness always carries 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, he is not able to help himself. Therefore, the victim needs medical attention.
Unconsciousness is characterized by a serious threat of choking with vomit, blood, mucus and other masses that rush out of the digestive tract, blocking the airways along the way. However, more often in practice there is another problem that is considered more dangerous than the movement of vomit, this is the displacement of the root of the tongue.
What is this?
Relaxation of the muscles of the lower jaw and the root muscles of the tongue while a person is unconscious will inevitably lead to the movement of the tongue from its usual position to the larynx. This phenomenon in the people and medicine was called "retraction of the tongue." It is characterized by the displacement of the muscles of the tongue towards the wall of the larynx, which leads to the cessation of air supply to the lungs, resulting in suffocation, in other words, asphyxia.
Westfallthe 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, which develops as a result of the displacement of 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.
Reasons for 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 probability of 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. Much more often, a similar phenomenon occurs during a long coma, in which many muscles atrophy, including the tongue. Retraction of the tongue in a patient may occur after the application of anesthesia before surgery. Also, pathology is observed in victims of accidents and other accidents, which entail severe pain shock.
Epilepsy as one of the causes
There are still many myths about tongue swallowing during an epileptic seizure. Some people who are ignorant of medicine try to open the mouth of an epileptic during an attack with a spoon, pens, or their own fingers, simultaneously fixing the unclenched jaws with a stick or other objects. Here it should be noted thatsuch activities will not only not help the patient, but can also break his teeth and damage the oral mucosa.
The only way a passer-by can help a person suffering from an epileptic seizure is to try to secure the space around him as much as possible: remove hot and sharp objects to prevent head injury, put soft clothes under it. During an attack, a person can bite his tongue, but in no case will he 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, only not during an attack, but after it, when the muscles, on the contrary, are in a state of hypotonicity. In this case, the relaxation of the root of the tongue can cause it to move from its usual position and subsequent blockage of the larynx.
Appearances of pathology
As mentioned, the main symptom and at the same time the most negative consequence of tongue displacement is choking. A person cannot breathe air, as the path to the lungs is blocked. He also cannot exhale air filled with carbon dioxide, as a result of which 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 turns blue.
A person who had a prolapse of the root of the tongue,begins to sweat profusely, the veins in his neck swell and increase in size. He begins to make reflex involuntary movements with his arms and legs, rush from side to side due to the inability to take a full breath. By itself, breathing is hoarse, arrhythmic (due to excessive tension of the intercostal muscles and neck muscles).
How can I help?
First of all, a person who has had a displacement of the tongue must be placed in a horizontal position. After performing this manipulation, it is necessary to throw back his head: the left hand is placed on the forehead of the victim, and the right hand at this time raises the neck, a fixator (pillow, roller) is placed under it. After tilting his head, you need to push his lower jaw. To do this, its right and left corners are taken with two hands, shifted down and then rise forward. If breathing is restored, then the person should be turned to the side to prevent re-sagging.
If these measures did not help restore airway patency when the tongue retracted, 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, this is the removal of the tongue from the oral cavity and its fixation from the outside. Manipulation involves pulling the tongue out of the mouth with the help of cloth-wrapped fingers, tweezers, tongs, and, in fact, any tool capable of capturing and holding the tongue. His next step isfixation at the chin with adhesive plaster or bandage.
In case the displacement of the root 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 joining fragments of a broken jaw, can only be performed in a specialized institution. Also, in the carriages called by the ambulance, doctors can provide professional assistance in case of retraction of the tongue, as they have devices for artificial ventilation of the lungs. A special air duct is placed between the root of the tongue and the wall of the throat, providing air to the lungs.
What not to do
All manipulations regarding the movement of the victim in space and changing the position of his head and neck are contraindicated if a person has a suspicion of a fracture of the cervical spine. Any inaccurate movement in relation to the victim can harm him even more. In this case, it is enough to change the position of the jaw forward and down.
It is also worth noting that some citizens have a myth firmly entrenched in their heads, which says that it is necessary to take out the tongue and pin it with a pin, a needle to the collar of the clothes or the victim's cheek. To do this is absolutely contraindicated, and it is pointless. Moreover, first aid in case of tongue retraction should not be provided by such barbaric methods. To fix the tongue, a regular adhesive plaster attached to the chin is suitable. Moreover, the fixation itself is necessary in extreme cases, usually changing the position of the head and neck is sufficient.
Language Root Offset Warning
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 a number of measures should still be carried out, the purpose of which is to prevent the retraction of the tongue. Its main principle is to tilt the head of the victim back by raising the neck and placing a roller under it. It is also possible to attach the tongue with adhesive tape or a bandage passing through the bottom of the lower jaw and securing 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
Retraction of the tongue is a rather dangerous phenomenon, which consists in the displacement of its root and blockage of the respiratory tract. A similar condition occurs when the muscles of the body, including the tongue, relax during unconsciousness, coma and anesthesia, as well as fractures of the lower jaw.
When the tongue shifts, a person begins to suffocate, the veins in 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. It also helps to fix the tongue outside the mouth by attaching it to the chin, but in no case with pins or needles.
