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Choking is a common breathing emergency. A conscious person who is choking has his/her airway blocked by a piece of food or some other object. The airway may be only partially blocked or it may be totally blocked. A person who's airway is completely blocked cannot breathe at all. If the airway is only partially blocked, the person will still be able to breathe, but it will be difficult.
If the choking person is coughing hard, you should let them try to cough up the object. The person that is getting enough air to cough or to talk is getting enough air to breathe. In this case, you should stay with that person and encourage them to continue coughing. If the person continues to cough, but cannot produce the object, you should call for an ambulance.
You must be very careful, though, because a partially blocked airway can very quickly become a totally blocked airway. A person who's airway is totally blocked will not be able to cough forcefully, talk, or breathe. Sometimes the person may be able to give a weak cough or even make a high pitched noise. These are both signs that the person is not getting enough air to stay alive. You must take action immediately.
When a person is choking, you must work quickly to get the airway open. You should follow these simple steps:
(1.) Give the victim four firm slaps to the back directly between the shoulder blades. This may help to loosen whatever is stuck so that it may be coughed out.
(2.) If slaps to the back do not help, you need to try the following technique:
Stand behind the victim, extend your hands around the victim. Lock your hands together just below the victim's ribs. Then pull your locked hands back rapidly and forcefully. This technique can forsake air from the lungs and into the airway. This then pushes the object out of the throat. Some people prefer to use this technique without any slaps to the back. This technique is known as the Heimlick maneuver.
These thrusts should be continued until the object is forced out or until the victim becomes unconscious. If the victim becomes unconscious you need to follow the instructions for checking an unconscious victim.
If a conscious victim is too big for you to reach around and give good abdominal thrusts, give chest thrusts instead. You should also give chest thrusts to a person who is pregnant.
If you are alone and choking you can give yourself abdominal thrusts with you hands. Another way is to lean over and press you abdomen against any firm object. Don't lean over anything with sharp edges that could hurt you.
If the choking victim is unconscious or is lying down, the following steps should be taken:
(1.) You need to open the airway and artificial respirations should be given if at all possible.
(2.) The victim's mouth should be checked to see whether the object can be removed from the throat.
(3.) I the first two steps do not work, you should then roll the victim to one side and give four strong slaps between the shoulder blades.
(4.) Then the person who is giving care needs to roll the victim on to their back once again. They should forcefully push on the upper abdomen four times. This may force air from the lungs and push the object out of the air way.
(5.) Again, the victim's throat should be examined to see if the object can be pulled out.
(6.) If the object is still in the airway, then you should attempt again.
COMMON CAUSES OF CHOKING/ADULT:
1. Trying to swallow large pieces of poorly chewed foods.
2. Drinking alcohol before or during a meal. Alcohol dulls the nerves that aid in swallowing.
3. Wearing Dentures
4. Eating while talking/eating too fast/laughing.
5. Walking, playing, or running with food or an object in your mouth.
Choking is also a very common childhood injury that can lead to death. A choking child can quickly stop breathing, lose consciousness, and die. It is very important to recognize when a child needs first aid for choking.
If the victim is a small child, the following steps should be taken:
(1.) The person giving the first-aid should hold the child so that his/her head is lower than the rest of the body. The child should not be held completely upside down.
(2.) The child should be given several slaps on the back.
It is very important that you realize that the application of force to the abdomen can injure the victim when it is done by an untrained individual. These techniques should never be tried by untrained children and they should only be tried by untrained adults in case of an emergency.
PREVENT CHOKING IN CHILDREN BY:
1. not leaving small objects where children can get a hand on them
2. having children eat in a highchair/suppervised
3. making sure toys are to large to swallow
4. cutting foods the proper size for a child
THE UNIVERSAL SIGN FOR CHOKING IS CLUTCHING THE THROAT WITH ONE OR BOTH HANDS!
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