First Aid for Choking PDF

First Aid for Choking Dr. Mohamed Fawzy Tantawy Lecturer of Emergency & Critical Medicine  A person who is choking typically has a panicked, confused or surprised facial expression. Some people may place one or both hands on their throat. The person may cough (either forcefully or weakly...

First Aid for Choking Dr. Mohamed Fawzy Tantawy Lecturer of Emergency & Critical Medicine  A person who is choking typically has a panicked, confused or surprised facial expression. Some people may place one or both hands on their throat. The person may cough (either forcefully or weakly), or he or she may not be able to cough at all.  If you are with a person who starts to choke, first ask the person if he or she is choking, or check to see if an infant is crying or making other noises. If the person can speak or cry and is coughing forcefully, encourage him or her to keep coughing. A person who is getting enough air to speak, cry or cough forcefully is getting enough air to breathe. But be prepared to act if the person’s condition changes.  If the person is making high-pitched noises or coughing weakly, or if the person is unable to speak or cry, the airway is blocked and the person will soon become unresponsive unless the airway is cleared. Call 1-2-3 or the designated emergency number immediately while you begin to give first aid for choking. Caring for an Adult or Child Who Is Choking When an adult or child is choking, give a combination of 5 back blows (blows between the shoulder blades) followed by 5 abdominal thrusts (inward and upward thrusts just above the navel). The goal of giving back blows and abdominal thrusts is to force the object out of the airway, allowing the person to breathe. Special Situations The person is too large for you to wrap your arms around to give abdominal thrusts: Give chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts. To give chest thrusts, position yourself behind the person as you would for abdominal thrusts. Place the thumb side of your fist against the center of the person’s breastbone. Then cover your fist with your other hand and pull straight back, giving a quick, inward thrust into the person’s chest. Special Situations The person is obviously pregnant or known to be pregnant: Give chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts. Special Situations The person is in a wheelchair: Give abdominal thrusts in the same way that you would for a person who is standing. It may be necessary to kneel behind the wheelchair. If features of the wheelchair make it difficult to give abdominal thrusts, give chest thrusts instead. Special Situations You are alone and choking: Call 1-2-3 or the designated emergency number using a landline or a GPS-enabled mobile phone. Even if you are not able to speak, the open line will cause the dispatcher to send help. Give yourself abdominal thrusts, using your hands, just as if you were giving abdominal thrusts to another person. Alternatively, bend over and press your abdomen against any firm object, such as the back of a chair or a railing. Do not bend over anything with a sharp edge or corner that might hurt you and be careful when leaning on a railing that is elevated. u are alone and choking. Caring for an Infant Who Is Choking When an infant is choking, give a combination of 5 back blows followed by 5 chest thrusts (instead of abdominal thrusts). You can sit, kneel or stand to give first aid care to a choking infant, if you are able to support the infant on your thigh with the infant’s head lower than his or her chest. If the infant is large or your hands are small, you may find it easiest to sit or kneel.  If the Person Becomes Unresponsive If a person who is choking becomes unresponsive, carefully lower him or her to the ground and, if you are trained, begin CPR, starting with chest compressions. After each set of chest compressions and before attempting rescue breaths, open the person’s mouth and look for the object. When to use the Finger Sweep??  If you see an object in the person’s mouth, remove it using your finger. Never put your finger in the person’s mouth unless you actually see the object. If you cannot see the object and you put your finger in the person’s mouth, you might accidentally push the object deeper into the person’s throat.