THE CHOKING VICTIM WILL CLASP HIS NECK IN AN INSTINCTIVE ACT,
WHICH IS NOW RECOGNIZED AS THE UNIVERSAL CHOKING SIGN.
Act Quickly; speed is essential. Brain death can occur in 4-6 minutes.Treatment
Conscious Adult
- Ask, "Are you choking?" If the victim can speak, cough or breathe, DO NOT INTERFERE - he is not choking.
- If the victim cannot speak, cough or breathe, give upward abdominal thrusts.
To do this, stand behind victim and wrap your arms round the waist. Grasp one fist with your other hand and place thumb side of your fist in the mid-line between waist and rib cage. Press fist into abdomen with 4 quick upward and inward thrusts.- Do not use abdominal thrust when dealing with a pregnant woman or over-weight victim. In these cases use chest thrusts - press on breastbone as in CPR.
- Stand behind victim and place your arms under her armpits to encircle body.
- Grasp one fist with the other hand, and place thumb side on the middle of the breastbone.Press with quick backward thrusts.
- Repeat above sequence.Be persistent.
- Send for medical aid, call an Ambulance and continue treatment until help arrives.
Self Help
The above technique can be used successfully.
If a person is choking and alone, lean over a chair or railing as you act to help release obstruction.
Unconscious Adult
- Establish unconsciousness.
- "Call for Help". Get them to get an Ambulance, Now !
- Dial your local emergency telephone number.
- Open Airway and begin A of resuscitation procedure.
- If unsuccessful deliver five abdominal thrusts.
- Use finger probe in mouth to remove the dislodged foreign body.
- If unsuccessful repeat these sequences. Be persistent.
- Continue treatment until help arrives.
Child (as for adults)
If a child ('1-8 years) is choking, proceed as for adult, depending on whether victim is conscious or unconscious.
Infant (up to 1 year)
If an infant is choking, turn infant face downwards supporting the body along your arm with hand supporting head and neck.
- Ensure airway is open.
- Deliver five back blows between the shoulders, then turn over and give five chest thrusts.
- Remove object if visible.
- Do not perform blind finger sweeps in infants and children. When obstruction is removed and infant is still not breathing and has no pulse start CPR.
- Call help fast see section on Resuscitation for Children.
To prevent further complications, all cases of choking should receive medical inspection
even if the first aid measure relieved the obstruction.
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