Choking

Choking is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when a person’s airway becomes blocked, preventing oxygen from reaching the lungs. This can happen when a foreign object, such as a piece of food or a small toy, gets lodged in the throat or windpipe. The universal sign for choking is clutching the throat with one or both hands.

Causes

• Food Obstructions
• Non-Food Obstructions
• Medical Conditions
• Alcohol or Drug Impairment

Symptoms

• Difficulty breathing or wheezing
• Coughing or gagging
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Hoarseness or difficulty speaking
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting

First Aid for Choking: Adult and Children

• Stand or kneel behind the choking person and wrap your arms around their waist. Make a fist with one hand and place it right above their belly button.
• Hold the person’s fist with one hand and use your other hand to quickly press into their abdomen and up towards their chest.
• Keep doing sets of 5 abdominal thrusts until the object is coughed out, or until they can breathe or cough.
• If the person becomes unconscious, call emergency services and start CPR.

Note: For pregnant women or injured individuals, give chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts.

First Aid for Choking: Infants

• Position the infant face down on your forearm supporting their head and neck with your hand.
• Deliver 5 sharp back blows between the infant’s shoulder blades.
• If the obstruction isn’t clear, turn the infant over onto your lap facing up while supporting their head.
• Give 5 chest compressions by placing two fingers in the center of their chest and pushing down 1/3 the depth of the chest.
• Repeat cycles of back blows and chest thrusts until the obstruction is dislodged and they can breathe/cough.
• If the infant is unresponsive, call 911 and start CPR immediately.