The recovery position is when we roll someone on their side if they are unconscious. When you are unresponsive or unconscious, all of your muscles relax. The tongue is a big muscle that is attached to your jaw, so if you are unconscious and lying on your back, it can move back and block your airway. Unconscious people also lose their gag reflex, which is the ability to vomit or cough to clear their airway. Lastly, the muscle at the top of your stomach (known as a sphincter) relaxes, which allows whatever is in your stomach (e.g., vomit, acid) to move up into your airway and drain into your lungs. This is extremely dangerous. When you hear the expression, 'choked on their vomit', this is what they are referring to. It is because of these reasons that we put unconscious people on their side whilst waiting for medical help.
To ensure the unconscious person stays on their side and doesn't roll onto their face, their arm is placed out and their top knee bent over, as per the illustration. This keeps them in the safest position whilst waiting for an ambulance. Done correctly, the recovery position should not cause any harm to the patient.
The patient was placed in the recovery position incorrectly. When a person is unconscious, they are unable to readjust their body position if they become uncomfortable. If someone was lying on their side with their top leg leaning on the bottom one, it could cut off the circulation. If this position remained for a length of time, it could stop circulation to the lower leg, leading to cell death and amputation.
The patient was left in the recovery position for too long. The recovery position is the safest position for a patient whilst waiting for medical aid, but it should only be short-term. Being unconscious is a medical emergency and always requires a medical opinion to ensure the patient recovers.
The patient was left in a cold environment. People who are alcohol affected can get very cold, very quickly (hypothermia), so if the patient was left in a cold environment for a length of time, the result could be cell death and leg amputation.
- being unconscious is a medical emergency and always requires an ambulance
- the recovery position is the safest short-term position for a patient whilst waiting for medical aid, not for long-term management
- knowing how to do it correctly is important to keep your patient safe
- drunk people get cold very quickly, so keep them warm whilst you are waiting for help
- never, ever leave someone who is drunk or non-responsive alone, always stay with them and get help
- knowing how and when to do the recovery position can save a life. Make sure you know what to do if something goes wrong