This is the 4th out of 6 in this series of “5 things criminal attorneys should know about…” which I first posted a few years ago. Each month I highlight some areas of medicine that often cross into the criminal fields. This is not meant to be an in-depth review, but rather just bullet pointed facts. If you have any subject requests let me know!
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For this month we’re going to highlight Loss of Consciousness (LOC). Loss of consciousness comes up in several types of cases and is often the focus of a GBI/SBI charge. Educating attorneys and juries alike is important in understanding the significance of a loss of consciousness. So here are 5 facts every criminal attorney should know about LOC:
- There are 100’s of causes including:
- Alcohol or drug intoxication/overdose
- Seizures
- Diabetes
- Trauma
- Infection
- Psychogenic (i.e. panic attack)
- Stroke
- Dehydration
- Heart arrhythmia
- The medical term for transient loss of consciousness (passing out) is “syncope.”
- LOC can occur without warning, or person may have symptoms that allude to the cause.
- Amnesia is an indicator of loss of consciousness, even if the person doesn’t think they lost consciousness i.e. “I don’t think I passed out, but I don’t remember what happened.”
- LOC is not required for a concussion to be diagnosed.
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