{"id":12535,"date":"2024-02-19T12:15:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-19T17:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.protrainings.com\/blog\/?p=12535"},"modified":"2025-01-09T17:07:52","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T22:07:52","slug":"what-do-someone-is-choking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.protrainings.com\/blog\/what-do-someone-is-choking\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do If Someone Is Choking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Intro<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. How Choking Damages the Body<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. The Universal Sign for Choking<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. What to Do If an Adult Is Choking<\/a>\n
      \n
    1. \u201cWhat to Do If an Adult Is Choking\u201d Infographic<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. What to Do If a Pregnant Woman Is Choking<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. What to Do If a Child Is Choking<\/a>\n
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      1. \u201cWhat to Do If a Child Is Choking\u201d Infographic<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. What to Do If an Infant Is Choking<\/a>\n
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        1. \u201cWhat to Do If an Infant Is Choking\u201d Infographic<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. What to Do If an Unconscious Person Is Choking<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. What to Do If You Are Choking<\/a>\n
            \n
          1. How to Perform the Heimlich Maneuver on Yourself<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. \u201cWhat to Do If You Are Choking & Alone\u201d Infographic<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. Special Considerations for Performing the Heimlich Maneuver in the Workplace<\/a>\n
              \n
            1. \u201cThe Complete Guide to Handling a Choking Emergency\u201d PDF<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Choking is a traumatic experience that can claim a life very quickly. Sometimes, if someone is choking, another person\u2019s intervention is needed to clear their airway and save their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              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<\/a>, choking results in thousands of deaths in the US each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Knowing what to do when someone chokes means you\u2019re equipped to act fast and help the person remove the obstruction. Let ProTrainings guide you on how to assist when someone around you chokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              How Choking Damages the Body<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              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\u2019s vital organs are deprived of oxygen. Without this oxygen, permanent brain damage<\/a> can happen in minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


              <\/em><\/strong>Just as when someone suffers cardiac arrest, the chances of a person surviving choking decrease as the minutes pass by. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              This makes knowing what to do when someone is choking very important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              The Universal Sign for Choking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              When someone is choking, they won\u2019t be able to speak and will likely be panicking. It\u2019s important to know the universal sign for choking as it\u2019s the one key communicator that a person has an obstruction to their airway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              The universal sign for choking is grabbing the throat with both hands.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              This sign surpasses language barriers and is quick, clear, and effective. If you\u2019re able to recognize the universal distress sign for choking, you\u2019ll be much more likely to act to clear the obstruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              According to MedlinePlus<\/a>, the two things to ask the person when they\u2019re displaying the universal sign for choking are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              1. \u201cAre you choking?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. \u201cCan you speak?\u201d <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                If they can speak and cough, call emergency services, but don\u2019t perform abdominal thrusts. This is because a forceful cough may be enough to clear the blockage. If they\u2019re unable to speak or cough, this is when it\u2019s necessary to attempt to remove the blockage immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                If someone isn\u2019t giving the universal sign, there could be other indications<\/a> that they\u2019re choking. A person may be choking if:<\/p>\n\n\n\n