What Is Choking?

Choking occurs when an object, food, or liquid becomes lodged in the throat. Children often choke as a result of placing foreign objects into their mouths. Adults normally choke due to breathing in fumes or eating or drinking too rapidly. Most people choke at some point in their lives. It is usually short-lived and doesn’t pose any real danger. However, choking can be dangerous and cause life-threatening complications.

Identifying a Choking Person

Know the signs of choking. A person who is choking may cough continuously until the food or liquid is expelled from the throat or airway. However, in some cases the object, food, or liquid becomes lodged in the throat, cutting off the air supply.

A person who is choking may display the following emergency signs:

inability to speak

inability to cough

inability to make noise

inability to breathe

blue tint to the lips, skin, or nails from lack of oxygen

The person may also have his or her hands crossed over the throat to let you know he or she is choking.

Emergency Care

Use the Red Cross’s five-and-five method to treat a person who’s choking.

Use the heel of your hand to hit the person’s back five times between the shoulder blades.

Perform the Heimlich maneuver five times.

Alternate between the previous two options until the person is no longer choking.

To do the Heimlich maneuver, perform the following steps:

Stand behind the person with your arms wrapped around his or her waist.

Lean the person forward.

Ball your hand into a fist and place it on the person’s abdomen above the navel.

Use your free hand to grip your fist and press into the person’s abdomen in an upward motion.

Repeat this method five times. If the object is still lodged in the person’s throat, repeat the steps five more times.

If the person is unconscious, clear his or her airway if you see what’s blocking it. You can do this using your finger. However, be careful not to push the object further into the throat.

Call 911, and then begin CPR. To perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation):

lay the person down on a flat surface

kneel on the side of the unconscious person

place your hand in the middle of their chest, palm downplace your free hand over the top of the other lean forward with your shoulders

push down quickly

This is called a chest compression. Repeat this process several times as needed.

Do not give a child the five-and-five method. Only give a child the Heimlich maneuver.

Choking Hazards

Children usually choke when placing objects into their mouths. Children normally do this out of curiosity. However, they may also choke when eating too quickly or when talking with food in their mouths.

Common objects that children choke on include:

popcorn

candy

pencil erasers

carrots

hotdogs

chewing gum

peanuts

cherry tomatoes

whole grapes

large pieces of fruit and vegetables

Adults usually choke when swallowing food without chewing it properly or when laughing while eating or drinking.

Choking Complications

Complications of choking include:

throat damage (irritation)

death from asphyxiation

Preventing Choking

Prevent your child from choking by keeping his or her play area free of small objects, such as coins, erasers, and Lego blocks. Chop your child’s food into small pieces, making it easier for him or her to swallow. Discourage your child from talking while eating.

Prevent yourself from choking by:

chewing your food completely

avoiding talking while eating

avoiding laughing while eating

keeping water near you while eating

Source: http://www.healthline.com