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How To Save A Person From Choking

Whether you are at a coffee house or restaurant, do you know how to help the person who chokes? The person can be your close friend, relative, or even loved one. The consequences will be dire if you do not know how to react.

Choking: Obstructed Airway of a Conscious Adult

1. Ask the victim if he is choking.

2. He would probably be displaying the sign of choking - clasping the neck with the thumb and index fingers.

3. If he is unable to speak, breathe or cough, do not interfere with his attempts to expel the foreign object. Otherwise, perform the abdominal thrust until the foreign object is expelled.

4. How to perform the Abdominal Thrust:
a) Stand behind the victim and wrap your arms around the waist.
b) Grasp one fist with your other hand and place thumb side of your fist in the midline slightly above the navel.
c) Press your fist into the victim's abdomen with quick inward and upward thrusts. Each abdominal thrust should be delivered decisively, with the intention of relieving the obstruction.

5. If the victim is in late pregnancy or is obese, perform the Chest Thrust.

6. How to perform the Chest Thrust:
a) Stand behind the victim and place your arms under the victim's armpits encircling the chest.
b) Grasp one fist with your other hand and place thumb side of your fist in the middle of the victim's breastbone.
c) Press with quick backward thrusts.

7. Should the victim become unconscious, perform steps for clearing the Obstructed Airway of an Unconscious Adult.

Choking: Obstructed Airway of an Unconscious Adult

1. Turn the victim onto his back carefully supporting his head and neck. Shout for help and call for an ambulance.

2. Open the mouth using the head tilt chin lift technique. Push the chin downwards and remove and foreign objects you see in the victim's mouth with your fingers.

3. Check for breathing by the Look, Listen, Feel method.

4. If victim is not breathing, perform mouth to mouth ventilation.

5. If the chest does not rise, reposition the victim's head and re-attempt ventilation (2nd ventilation)

6. If the chest still does not rise, perform 30 chest compressions.

7. The hand position is the same as for the chest compressions performed for CPR.

8. Repeat the head tilt chin lift and check the mouth. Remove any foreign objects if seen.

9. Open his airway and check breathing.

10. Repeat steps 6 to 8 if necessary until successful.

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