First aid for choking victim

Each year thousands of emergency medical situations involve the act of choking. Many of these cases result in death, because the victim did not receive immediate proper first aid.

One of the top causes of deaths among children is due to choking. It is recommended that children under four not eat particular foods. They are foods that are known to lodge in the airway of the very young, such as hotdogs and peanuts. These types of foods are primary causes for children choking. Small pieces from toys that come apart are also a major cause of choking in the early years of childhood. Adults as well as children are involved in medical emergencies involving choking.

The act of choking occurs when a foreign object blocks the airway, resulting in good or poor air exchange. When good air exchange is the case, a victim is able to attempt to dislodge the object by coughing. Victims of choking should be encouraged to cough and in most cases the object is ejected. However, good air exchange can change to poor exchange very quickly and the person would then require first aid and CPR procedures.

If a victim is suffering from poor air exchange will only be able to produce a weak cough or in some cases none at all. Then breathing becomes difficult and the fingernail beds and interior of the mouth will become bluish-gray in color. Attempts to inhale may involve a high pitched sound from the victim. Even a poor air exchange involving a partial obstruction to the airway should be treated as a complete airway obstruction.

The first steps in clarifying if a suspected victim is choking is to check the following:

„h Food is the major culprit for a choking victim so take note if the person has been eating.

„h Listen to hear if the victim is producing a strong or weak cough and encourage coughing.

„h Ask the victim if the can speak. Unresponsive victims most likely have a blocked airway.

„h Watch the victim. A choking victim very often will clutch their neck to communicate their problem.

„h A panicked person may turn pale in color.

„h Check for bluish gray color of fingernail beds and inner mouth.

These steps to identify a choking victim need to take place quickly, because a complete obstruction prevents air from entering the lungs, depriving the victim of oxygen within a matter of minutes.

To assist a choking victim follow the steps below for administering the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge a foreign object:

„h If the victim is conscious and cannot speak, breathe or cough, stand behind the victim, wrapping your arms around the person¡¦s waist. Do not allow your forearms to touch the victim¡¦s ribs.

„h Then make a fist with one hand, placing the thumb side just above the victim¡¦s navel and well below the person¡¦s sternum.

„h Grasp this fist with your other hand and press firmly into the victim¡¦s abdomen with 5 quick, upward thrusts. Each thrust should be a separate and distinct effort to dislodge the object.

„h Repeat the cycle of 5 abdominal thrusts until either the victim a) coughs up the object, b) begins to breathe or cough forcefully, c) becomes unconscious, in which case you would then need to perform the method of first aid for an unconscious victim with a finger sweep. (Instructions below) d) you are relived by the arrival of a trained emergency medical person.

If the victim is unconscious and breathing follow these steps:

„h Place the person lying down on their back, straddling the victim¡¦s thighs.

„h Place the heel of one of your hands, with your fingers pointing in the direction of the person¡¦s head, against the middle of the victim¡¦s abdomen, just above the victim¡¦s navel and well below the person¡¦s sternum.

„h Then place the other hand on top of the first hand. Using both hands, administer 5 thrusts pressing inward and upward. Again, each thrust should be a separate and distinct effort to dislodge the object. Maintain your heel and hand contact with abdomen between thrusts.

„h Performa finger sweep by grasping the victims tongue and jaw, lifting upward to pull the tongue away from the back of the victim¡¦s throat and the lodged object. If you are unable to open the mouth, cross your index finger over your thumb and push the teeth apart. Using the index finger of your other hand, slide the finger deeply inside the victim¡¦s cheek and use a sweeping, hooking action across the interior of the mouth to the other cheek. If the object is in reach you can dislodge it, grab and remove it. Do not force the object in deeper in any instance.

„h Cycle through these steps until the object is expelled or emergency medical personnel arrive.

Some very important facts to consider are:

1. Do not use the finger sweep on a child unless the object is visible.

2. Only perform a finger sweep on an unconscious victim. This action could cause a conscious person to gag or vomit.

3. For obese or a woman advanced in pregnancy performing a chest trust would be safer.

4. Do not perform this procedure on an infant! This procedure is very different in when performed on an infant under one year of age.

It is highly recommended that you take a quick training course to learn all the basic CPR and first aid techniques to properly care for a choking victim in all of the above emergency situations. Proper training by an emergency medical professional will enable you to be prepared for this and many other types of common emergencies. Enroll in a class today!