Choking occurs when you cannot swallow something that gets stuck in your throat, causing asphyxia. In adults, it usually occurs when you are eating and choke on something that is too big and blocks your larynx. In children, it is more common when they choke on an object that they had in their mouth and that can sometimes, instead of blocking the larynx, pass into the trachea and even the major bronchi.
WHAT IS FIRST AID FOR CHOKING
Below we provide first aid for choking, both in adults and children and what are the safety procedures for choking.
How to apply first aid in case of choking in adults
In the case of choking in adults, the first aid technique used is the Heimlich maneuver, which is described below:
- Take the patient from behind with both arms, so that the hands are between the costal margin and the navel, and have the patient bend over so that his head and shoulders are lower than the rest of the chest.
- Close one of your hands into a fist, hold the fist with the other hand and make a sharp, intense movement backwards and upwards with both hands. In this way, sudden pressure is applied to the patient's diaphragm and the air pressure will probably cause the foreign body that is causing the choking to explode. If necessary, the maneuver can be repeated several times.
If no foreign body is visible, you can try gently hitting the back between the shoulder blades with your fist. If you are the one choking on a foreign body and you are alone, bend over the back of a chair, applying pressure upwards and backwards on the pit of the stomach.
How to apply first aid in case of choking in children
First aid in case of choking in children is:
- If the child is small, you can take him by the ankles and leave him hanging upside down.
- If the child is large, hold him with his head and chest down, supported by an arm or leg.
- Loosen any clothing that is restricting the throat or chest.
- Perform mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration immediately.
- If you think that the foreign body has entered the trachea, but the child can breathe, do nothing but take him urgently to a hospital for definitive treatment.
- The doctor who has been called will immediately indicate whether the suffocated person should be taken to a hospital or not.
- Lay the baby on his back, with his head extended (chin pointing upwards) so that the tongue does not fall back and obstruct the airway. To lift the lower jaw, use your fingers to raise the angles of the jaw upwards.
- Place your mouth over the child's mouth and nose, and insufflate by drawing air in through them (in a newborn, only the amount of air that fits in the mouth and the swollen cheeks of the person performing artificial respiration). You will see that the anterior wall of the baby's chest rises.
- Leave the child's mouth free so that the air that was insufflated can escape spontaneously.
- Immediately afterwards, repeat the insufflation of air as the first time, about 20 times per minute.
- When it is confirmed that air is entering the child's lungs and is coming out of them properly, place one of your hands on the upper part of the asphyxiated person's abdomen and press moderately on it to force out any air that may have entered the child's stomach and prevent it from continuing to enter the digestive tract.
- With the other hand, continue to hold one angle of the lower jaw elevated and forward. In the case of a newborn and up to one year of age, it will be sufficient to place the index and middle fingers of one hand on the middle part of the sternum.
- Another effective maneuver consists of surrounding the chest with both hands and compressing the middle part of the sternum with both thumbs. Compress 100 times per minute (five compressions for each insufflation). In older children, it will be sufficient to compress the sternum with the "heel" of one hand.
