Table of Contents
- Intro
- How Choking Damages the Body
- The Universal Sign for Choking
- What to Do If an Adult Is Choking
- What to Do If a Child Is Choking
- What to Do If an Infant Is Choking
- What to Do If an Unconscious Person Is Choking
- What to Do If You Are Choking
- Special Considerations for Performing the Heimlich Maneuver in the Workplace
Choking is a traumatic experience that can claim a life very quickly. Sometimes, if someone is choking, another person’s intervention is needed to clear their airway and save their life.
Most common in children and the elderly, choking can happen suddenly and silently, and brain damage can occur within minutes. According to the National Safety Council, choking results in thousands of deaths in the US each year.
Knowing what to do when someone chokes means you’re equipped to act fast and help the person remove the obstruction. Let ProTrainings guide you on how to assist when someone around you chokes.
How Choking Damages the Body
Choking is the term used to describe a blockage in the airway. This may be a partial or total obstruction. When a person chokes, their body’s vital organs are deprived of oxygen. Without this oxygen, permanent brain damage can happen in minutes.
Just as when someone suffers cardiac arrest, the chances of a person surviving choking decrease as the minutes pass by.
This makes knowing what to do when someone is choking very important.
The Universal Sign for Choking
When someone is choking, they won’t be able to speak and will likely be panicking. It’s important to know the universal sign for choking as it’s the one key communicator that a person has an obstruction to their airway.
The universal sign for choking is grabbing the throat with both hands.
This sign surpasses language barriers and is quick, clear, and effective. If you’re able to recognize the universal distress sign for choking, you’ll be much more likely to act to clear the obstruction.
According to MedlinePlus, the two things to ask the person when they’re displaying the universal sign for choking are:
- “Are you choking?”
- “Can you speak?”
If they can speak and cough, call emergency services, but don’t perform abdominal thrusts. This is because a forceful cough may be enough to clear the blockage. If they’re unable to speak or cough, this is when it’s necessary to attempt to remove the blockage immediately.
If someone isn’t giving the universal sign, there could be other indications that they’re choking. A person may be choking if:
- They’re unable to speak
- They have difficulty breathing
- They’re unable to cough forcefully
- Their skin, lips, and nails turn blue
- They experience a loss of consciousness.
What to Do If an Adult Is Choking
Advice issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) indicates that the abdominal thrust method — more commonly known as the Heimlich maneuver — is the best way to aid a person who is choking.
The AHA guidelines on performing the Heimlich maneuver are as follows:
- Ask a person, “Are you choking?” If they indicate yes, tell them you’re going to help.
- Stand behind the person and wrap your arms around their waist so your hands are at the front of their body.
- Make a fist with one hand and place your thumb against the person’s abdomen, just above their belly button.
- Grasp your fist with your other hand and quickly thrust upward into the person’s abdomen.
- Continue until the object dislodges and the person can breathe.
Just like performing CPR on a cardiac arrest patient, it’s important to get the abdominal thrust method correct to increase the chances of clearing the blockage.
Our infographic below gives you clear, step-by-step instructions to help you act quickly and confidently.
What to Do If a Pregnant Woman Is Choking
Due to their physiological changes, a choking pregnant woman requires some adjustments to the typical rescue approach. Research shows that the enlarging uterus displaces the diaphragm upward, altering the abdominal cavity’s configuration and increasing intra-abdominal pressure.
Applying abdominal thrusts in the typical location risks injury to the woman’s uterus and fetus.
To ensure safety while rescuing a pregnant woman, perform chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts.
Chest thrusts target the lower half of the sternum, avoiding pressure on the abdomen. This approach uses the firm structure of the chest to create enough force to dislodge the object from the airway. If the woman becomes unresponsive at any point, CPR protocols should be adjusted to protect the fetus as well.
Learn how to assist a choking adult, including someone who is pregnant, by watching our video!
What to Do If a Child Is Choking
When a child is choking, it’s important to act quickly to clear their airway and prevent serious harm. Choking often occurs when small, hard, or sticky foods block the airway. If a child has a blocked airway, they might struggle to breathe, cough forcefully, or make high-pitched sounds.
Watch our video on managing a choking emergency in children. It provides visual examples and expert tips to help you respond quickly and safely.
If the choking child can’t cough, speak, or breathe, you’ll need to perform these specific first aid techniques:
- Stay calm and tell the child you’re going to help. Anxious, scared energy can transfer to the child and make the situation worse.
- Stand behind the child and place your arms around their waist.
- Make a fist with one hand and place it just above the child’s belly button.
- Grasp your fist with your other hand and perform quick, inward and upward thrusts.
- Continue with abdominal thrusts until the object no longer blocks the airway.
Being aware of these choking hazards and knowing how to respond will make a huge difference in a child’s safety.
Equip yourself with the skills to protect the little ones you care about and be ready in an emergency with this infographic.
What to Do If an Infant Is Choking
A choking infant is every parent’s worst nightmare, and it can happen very quickly. When an infant chokes, it’s usually due to the infant putting a foreign object in their mouth — and we all know how much young children like to do that!
The steps to take when someone chokes vary depending on the victim’s age. For example, the Heimlich maneuver shouldn’t be used on a choking infant under a year old, per AHA recommendation, due to the increased risk of abdominal injuries.
Given an infant’s small size and the subtle signs of choking, it can be challenging to recognize an emergency situation quickly. Check out our video for essential tips on handling a choking emergency in infants.
If an infant is choking, the AHA recommends taking the following steps:
- Kneel or sit with the infant in your lap. Lay them face down on your forearm across your lap or thigh. Gently place one hand under their chin to support their head and neck.
- Ensure the infant’s head is facing down, lower than their body, so gravity can help dislodge the object.
- Provide five back slaps between the infant’s shoulder blades using the heel of your hand. If this dislodges the object, you can stop.
- If the object remains stuck, support the infant’s head and sandwich the infant between your forearms. Then flip the infant over so they’re face up. Provide five chest thrusts with two fingers in the center of the chest, as if you were doing CPR.
- Continue alternating between five back slaps and five chest thrusts until the object is dislodged and the infant starts to cry.
Have a look at our infographic, and gain the peace of mind that comes with knowing how to protect your little one.
What to Do If an Unconscious Person Is Choking
When you encounter an unconscious person who is choking, their condition results from a combination of airway obstruction and loss of consciousness. If the obstruction is severe and prolonged, the lack of oxygen decreases brain function and consciousness.
The person may collapse or lose consciousness due to hypoxia, a state where the brain and body are deprived of adequate oxygen. Once unconscious, the person can’t clear the obstruction or cough because the body’s natural defense mechanisms to expel the object are compromised.
If the airway remains blocked, the lack of oxygen can cause further harm or even be life-threatening.
Immediate action with the following steps is essential to clear the airway and restore breathing to prevent brain damage or loss of life.
- Safely lower the unconscious person to the ground.
- Call 911.
- Begin CPR if the person isn’t breathing or has no pulse, continuing until emergency personnel arrive or the person begins to show signs of breathing. Complete a set of 30 compressions.
- Check the person’s mouth for any visible obstructions and remove them safely, using your fingers if necessary.
- Provide two breaths to see if the object is cleared, to see if there is any air movement, or to possibly clear the obstruction.
- Continue CPR, providing 3o compressions, and then check for a visible object before giving two breaths.
Addressing the situation quickly is vital to ensure the victim’s safety and recovery.
For a detailed visual guide on handling the critical situation of an unconscious person choking, be sure to watch our informative video.
What to Do If You Are Choking
When you find yourself choking, acting quickly and remaining as calm as possible is the difference between life and death. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to call for help while also addressing the obstruction, but it’s essential to prioritize both actions.
If available, try to use a phone with speaker mode or a hands-free option, which will allow you to call emergency services while attempting to clear your airway. If you can’t reach a phone, focus on dislodging the obstruction using self-help techniques until help arrives. Thankfully, you can perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself.
If you can’t resolve the situation independently and can’t call for assistance, try to get to a location where you might be visible or audible to neighbors or passersby who can assist you.
How to Perform the Heimlich Maneuver on Yourself
In a choking situation, performing the Heimlich maneuver on yourself can help expel the obstruction from your airway. Finding yourself choking is undeniably a distressing and unusual situation. As in other choking situations, staying calm lets you focus on removing the stuck object.
Performing the Heimlich maneuver on yourself might feel awkward, but it’s the best way to address the blockage if you’re alone.
- Find a firm surface, like the back of a chair or a countertop, to brace yourself against.
- Lean forward slightly, positioning your hands just above your belly button to create the necessary pressure.
- Press your body inward and downward against the surface to generate the force needed to dislodge the object blocking your airway.
- Repeat this maneuver until you remove the blockage.
Your priority should be to dislodge the obstruction and, if possible, to get help as soon as you can.
With our step-by-step instructions, equip yourself with the knowledge to stay safe, even when you’re by yourself.
Special Considerations for Performing the Heimlich Maneuver in the Workplace
Performing the Heimlich maneuver in the workplace involves additional considerations to ensure both safety and professionalism. Be mindful of the workplace environment, ensuring that any actions taken do not create hazards or disrupt operations.
Additionally, obtaining consent from the individual, if they’re conscious, is important before performing any intervention. This respects their autonomy and ensures they’re comfortable with the aid being provided.
Familiarize yourself with workplace policies and procedures regarding first aid and emergency responses, as well as any specific protocols for handling such incidents.
In a choking emergency, every second counts. “The Complete Guide to Handling a Choking Emergency” by ProTrainings prepares you with everything needed to make a difference.
Using the Heimlich maneuver, understanding the universal sign for choking, and knowing the other warning signs means a person can receive aid as quickly as possible when they begin choking.
To learn more about first aid and CPR, browse our courses now and find the right one for you and your staff.