Contents
Tongue swallowing
The tongue is a member of the body located in the mouth that is made up of a group of muscle fibers, and its function is to help with speech, swallowing and moving food. What happens during tongue swallowing is that due to some defect in the nervous system of the concerned person, nerve spasms occur accompanied by loss of consciousness, and thus the body relaxes and relaxes its muscles, including that the jaw and tongue in addition to the epiglottis are exposed, and this causes the base of the tongue to fall into the respiratory tract For the person, and this in turn leads to suffocation, and then if the injured person is not quickly treated, the person risks death.
Causes of tongue swallowing
- Tongue swallowing may occur as a result of a difference in the levels of potassium and sodium in the blood.
- Tongue swallowing may occur as a result of hypoglycemia.
- Tongue swallowing may occur as a result of a head injury and also a concussion in the brain, as it may lead to the victim losing consciousness, impairment of brain functions, imbalance of nerve currents and electrical charges, and consequently severe nervous convulsions.
- Tongue swallowing may occur as a result of a sudden failure in blood circulation, as in the case of atrial fibrillation.
Helping the person swallowing the tongue
The process of treating the person with this condition must be quick and accurate, in order to be able to rescue the injured quickly before he suffocates and before additional brain defects occur as a result of the lack of oxygen to him, but whatever the matter is necessary for the paramedic person to control his nerves and himself and act Be calm and be trained, and do not try to put the tongue back in place with your hands, for three main reasons:
- Because the tongue is a strong muscle and therefore difficult to move.
- With saliva.
- So that the patient does not clench and cut his teeth on your fingers.
How to help the injured by swallowing the tongue
- Lift the victim's head back and press his lower jaw, and try to push the angle of the front jaw, and then the tongue will return to its place.
- Then tilt his head back so that the chin is at its highest level, then open the mouth by moving the lower jaw down and then pull the tongue to remove it by making the index finger and thumb in the position of the hook and then pull it out, but prefer to use a specialized tool for him to avoid what we mentioned previously.
- If you have difficulty returning the tongue, use a breathing tube to help him breathe until the condition is treated.
- It is imperative that the patient be taken to the hospital and monitored his condition.
