The way to help people who is choking

Choking is a common cause of accidental death and is usually preventable. Objects like food, candy or small objects can easily become lodged in the airway if they are accidentally ‘breathed in’ but not swallowed.

How to see if the patient is chocking.

1. The patient can not speak or cough.

2. Grab or point to the throat.

3. Distressed look on his face.

How to treat patients with chocking.

First, encourage the patient to cough. If suffocation is only mild, it will clear.

Obstruction and the patient should be able to talk to you.

If the obstacle is not cleared:

Call for help, but do not leave the patient.

Bend the casualty forwards so that the head is lower than the chest. For a smaller child,

you can place them over your knee to do this.

Give up to 5 firm blows between the shoulder blades with the palm of your hand. Check

between blows and stop if you clear the obstruction.

If the obstruction is still not cleared:

Give abdominal thrusts

Stand behind the casualty (or kneel behind a small child). Place both your arms around

their waist. Make a fist with one hand and place it just above the belly button (below

the ribs) with your thumb inwards.

Grasp this fist with your other hand, then pull sharply inwards and upwards. Do this

up to 5 times. Check between thrusts and stop if you clear the obstruction.

Stand behind the casualty (or kneel behind a small child). Place both your arms around

their waist. Make a fist with one hand and place it just above the belly button (below

the ribs) with your thumb inwards.

Grasp this fist with your other hand, then pull sharply inwards and upwards. Do this

up to 5 times. Check between thrusts and stop if you clear the obstruction.