What do I do if a person with diabetes loses consciousness?

What do I do if a person with diabetes loses consciousness?

Anne Peters, MD, FACP, CDE (Professor and Director of Clinical Diabetes Programs, USC Keck School of Medicine) gives expert video advice on: How can I recognize when someone's having low blood sugar levels? and more...

Well, if someone with diabetes loses consciousness and you think it's from a low blood sugar reaction, you either treat it right away with glucagon if you have glucagon, or you call the paramedics. But the important things that you want to do is to make sure the person isn't going to fall from a height. So you want to put them on the floor so that they're not going to fall off something, and then tilt their head to the side in case they vomit or have a seizure. Then they're not going to aspirate, which means sort of inhale the vomit or the fluid into their lungs. So just keep them safe. And, even if they're having a seizure, it's okay; they're going to get over it. It seems awful, but just make sure they're safe and in a place they won't hurt themselves, and then help will come or you'll be able to help them. So it's staying calm that I think helps a lot.