12 Hour Faint?

[DDIL]

Good Morning,

Is it possible to have a 12 hour faint?

If an ambulance was called because of a 12 hour faint would they take you to hospital?

My thoughts are if you have a 12 hour 'faint' then concussion must be considered especially in someone of the older generation.

A neighbour told me this morning that she fainted, came too 12 hours later and used her 'call' watch to call for help, they sent an ambulance who diagnosed a UTI and said there was no need for a trip to the hospital.

From my experience even a unexplained short faint results in a hospital trip.

Thank you for your time.

[Canary42]

https://111.nhs.uk    

 

[barry1010]

I have never known anyone go to hospital because they've fainted if they are quickly recovered. The usual procedure is to raise the legs, loosen their clothing and if they don't quickly come round start CPR.

If a person is unconscious for more than a minute or two it is not a faint.

[youngmafbog]

Why would you start CPR for someone who is just unconcious?  In fact that could be dangerous.

[DDIL]

Thank you for your responses but they don't actually answer my questions.

[calmck]

A Urine Tract Infection can cause lots of symptoms especially in the elderly. Disorientation and loss of awareness is common. Probably not a "faint" but a high fever. More to the point is the neighbour on antibiotics now, drinking and aware of what's going on. I would advise a doctor visit today as a matter of some urgency and prudence

[barry1010]

Missed out the 'if they are not breathing, start CPR'.

I did answer your question, DDIL (I feel daft calling a stranger 'dear daughter in law).  A faint cannot last 12 hours.  If it lasts more than a minute or two it is not a faint

[DDIL]

Good morning,

She is on antibiotics, the ambulance crew apparently said no need for a doctor visit either!

I just find it all very strange.

[barry1010]

My oldster changed personality completely due to a UTI, he became aggressive and nasty.  Normality was restored within a few days of treatment

[barry1010]

If she is on antibiotics already for the UTI then she should continue the course and if no improvement, go back to the GP.  They can be the very devil to shift, especially in the elderly.

If she didn't know she had a UTI she should contact her GP.

Is it possible she is confused about the timings?  

[Peter Pedant]

yes. (BUT) - actually any faint needs an explanation - (oh he does this alot, is OK  if they DO)

otherwise call and ambulance - actually call for help first

BUT....

this is not a 12 h faint but a report.... of a faint. She woke and cdnt remember....

and we (AB) are third or fourth party - -  ( been around AB a lot).

If a person is unconscious for more than a minute or two it is not a faint.

yup - - and this was not witnessed.

[DDIL]

From what I can piece together from her watch data and her and the ambulance crew the following happened.

2am got up to visit bathroom and faints either in the bathroom or on the landing

245pm she 'comes too' and uses her watch to call for help.

315pm the ambulance crew turn up and help her back to bed and test for a UTI and arrange for a delivery of antibiotics, then tell her there is no need for a dr to visit.

I have a conversation with her this morning and she seems lucid and on the ball.

As I said earlier, in my experience when I have fainted I have been carted off to hospital to check me over and have a scan.

So I struggle with the fact that an elderly lady can 'pass out' for 12 hours and no action is taken.

[barry1010]

Did you have other symptoms when you fainted? Low blood pressure, vomiting, confusion, high temperature, anything at all?

When my oldster fainted a while back I couldn't get him off the floor so had to call an ambulance.  They checked him over, got him up, stayed for a chat and left.

The NHS and ambulance staff are happy to be called out for falls.

[DDIL]

No, I do not have any other symptoms.

But this is not about me, this is about an elderly lady who appears to have spent 12 hours on the floor in a passed out state.

[237SJ]

I was taken to hospital years ago when I fainted (I was a teenager) because I cracked my head on the pavement and suffered concussion.  It's not routine to take people to hospital from a faint.  A system is used AVPU.  A - Alert, V - voice responsive, P - pain responsive, U - unresponsive.  Depends how responsive the person is as to what happens.  I would tell her to phone her doctor so that they can decide if they want to investigate further.

[rowanwitch]

A faint doesn't last 12 hours.  

12 your loss of consciousness can be a number of other things though including a) mini stroke or TIA

B) normal faint plus head injury caused by inpact (would need to be pretty severe for concussion to cause loss of consciousness for that long)easy to eliminate does any part of head feel sore.

C) silent infarct... Painless heart attack but again can't see someone being unconscious 12 hours, and it would show on ambulance crew ecg.

D). Poor historian or incorrect info being given deliberately... I personally would have my suspicions with the whole story,  cannot see any way if someone had been unconscious that long they wouldn't be in hospital.

 

If a uti caused loss of consciousness you wouldn't come round  until it was treated, and that would definitely need intravenous antibiotics.

 

[DDIL]

Thank you Rowanwitch, it's as I suspected.

I appreciate the full explanation and information.

[Peter Pedant]

Thank you for your responses but they don't actually answer my questions.

You get this lot B - it must means that they have not got the anwers they wanted. ( none of us are telepaths) Real answer - you cant tell, we havent even got a proper history

what about a tortured analogy - one that Barry hates so much?

Dr X - 1975 went into his junior hospital job and was a bit wobbly. He reported to a supervising senior ( yes we were supervised then) that he had..... woken up 12 h after falling off a step ladder . And he was sent home to recuperate after this head injury.

Then, on return date, he didnt turn up, so his supervisor went to his house to check, and reported back - - Dr X will not be working at this Hospital again. oo-er doctor !

( stealing fentanyl, injecting himself. Not compatible with any post in the NHS)

well ! I have another one, if you want....

[DDIL]

Are you high?

[rowanwitch]

No it's just Peter being Peter...

I think the Late lamented Sqad would have had fun with this one...

[Barmaid]

Recent experience of someone with a UTI tells me that they may think extraordinary things are very real indeed when in fact they are not.  My suspicion is that she fell at 2pm and called for help at 2.45pm.  I do not think that paramedics can diagnose and prescribe either - a GP would need to do that.

If a UTI (and extremely common in the elderly) they can sound extremely lucid and plausible - because to them it was very real indeed.  Also, the antibiotics often take a few days to work.

My recently deceased grandmother suffered UTI's in the last months of her life to the extent that she was convinced that there were three boys in her living room.  She was otherwise extremely lucid, but to her these three boys were quite real and she would talk completely sensibly about them.