Choking is a frightening and potentially life-threatening situation that can happen to anyone, anywhere. It occurs when a foreign object, such as food or a small toy, becomes lodged in a person's throat, blocking their airway. In such situations, immediate action is crucial to prevent severe injury or even death. This article will guide you through what to do if a person is choking and provide essential first aid treatment steps.
Choking due to severe upper airway obstruction is a life-threatening medical emergency that requires fast, appropriate action by anyone available.
- First Aid for Unconscious Choking Person: If a choking victim becomes unconscious, you must perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation to save the person's life
- First Aid for a Conscious Choking Person: If the person is conscious but cannot speak or cough, begin the Heimlich Maneuver, a system of abdominal thrusts that clears the throat.
What's the First Aid Treatment for a Conscious Choking Person?
Choking requires immediate action. If the person cannot speak or cough, begin the Heimlich Maneuver, a system of chest thrusts that work to clear the throat. The abdominal thrust and blow technique is a first aid procedure recommended by the American Red Cross to help alleviate someone's airway. This procedure is only done on someone who is choking and also conscious.
How To Do Heimlich Maneuver?
1. Stand behind a choking adult, bringing your arms around the victim's abdomen. For a child, kneel down behind.
2. Make a fist with one hand, placing your thumb above the navel or belly button. The opposite hand reaches around the person and grasps the fist to provide support.
3. Bend the victim over at the waist to parallel the upper body with the ground.
4. Deliver five separate forceful blows between the person's shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
5. Perform five upward chest thrusts, also known as the Heimlich maneuver.
6. Alternate between 5 blows and 5 chest thrusts until the object is expelled 7. Discontinue the blow and upward thrust when the person begins to cough, speak, or lose consciousness
Who Invented Heimlich Maneuver?
Dr. Henry Heimlich invented the Heimlich maneuver in 1974. He discovered the remaining air in a person's lungs could be used to dislodge a foreign object from their esophagus using quick abdominal thrusts. Henry Heimlich intended his maneuver to be practiced by the public rather than exclusively by a health professional.