Diagnosing Unconsciousness After Injury: A Guide Using AEIOU TIPPS

An unconscious injured person is obviously unable to tell you how the injury came about. During the secondary survey (see "How to Conduct a Secondary Survey of an Injured Person"), remember "AEIOU TIPPS" as a mnemonic for the following list of possible causes of unconsciousness.

Instructions

• 1

  Consider Alcohol: look for signs of drinking, like empty bottles or the smell of alcohol.

• 2

  Consider Epilepsy: are there signs of a violent seizure, such as saliva around the mouth or a generally disheveled scene?

• 3

  Think Insulin: might the person be suffering from insulin shock (see "How to Diagnose and Treat Insulin Shock")?

• 4

  Think about drugs: Was there an Overdose? Or might the person have Underdosed - that is, not taken enough of a prescribed medication?

• 5

  Consider Trauma: Is the person physically injured?

• 6

  Look for signs of Infection: redness and/or red streaks around a wound.

• 7

  Look around for signs of Poison: an empty bottle of pills or a snakebite wound.

• 8

  Consider the possibility of Psychological trauma: might the person have a psychological disorder of some sort?

• 9

  Consider Stroke, particularly for elderly people.

• 10

  Treat according to what you diagnose.