Choking First Aid Information

Home >> Health >> Choking First Aid

Choking First Aid

Choking Symptoms

• gasping for breath

• grabbing the throat

• turning blue

• unable to talk

Treatment

If a choking person is making noise or coughing forcefully, do notinterfere but stay with him until the episode ends and the object isexpelled. If he is unable to cough or move in any way, quickly look into his mouth. If you see the object and can easily retrieve it, do so cautiously, being careful not to push the object farther down the throat.

If it is not easily removable, do not attempt to grasp it. Call for emer-gency help. Then proceed to the following measures.For an infant or small child try the back blow approach:

• Place the child face down across your leg or lap with the head lowerthan the rest of the body.

• Support the child's chin with one hand.

• Firmly and deliberately slap the back between the shoulder blades four times.If this technique proves unsuccessful in expelling the foreign object,then proceed with the chest thrust approach:

• Place the child face up across your leg, keeping the head lower thanthe body.

• Support the head and neck with one hand.

• Place two fingertips for a newborn or the heel of the hand for anolder baby on the lower sternum (just above the stomach area) andpush in and up four times in rapid succession.

Alternate these approaches until the object is dislodged and the childbegins to breathe.

For an older child (over 40 pounds), use the Heimlich maneuver:

• Stand behind the child, wrapping your arms around the child's waist(between the navel and the rib cage).

• Make a fist with one hand and place your free hand over the fist

• Thrust your fist in and upward (into the upper abdominal area) infour separate and distinct motions.

Once the object is freed, begin rescue breathing or CPR if the child is notbreathing. Remember: CPR is of no value until the object is dislodged.For the older child who is unconscious, the standard upright Heimlichmaneuver will not work. In that case, follow these instructions:

•Place the child on his or her back on the floor.

•Kneeling over (or straddling) the child, place the heel of one hand onthe child's abdomen and place the free hand on top of the first hand,fingers interlocking.

•Push the heel of the bottom hand into the child's upper abdomenwith four quick, upward thrusts.

PREVENTION

Keep small, hard objects away from small children. This includes hard candy, nuts,,opcorn, hot dogs, chewing gum, and hard fruits and vegetables.

Eut food into small pieces.

Remove small toys or hanging mobiles from the crib before the baby is able to reach them.Use only unbreakable toys that have no sharp edges or small parts that can come loose.Do not allow electrical or hanging cords within reach of a crib or a toddler's play area.

•Do not allow an infant to wear a necklace or a young child to play with any cord orstring around the neck.

•Keep plastic bags and balloons out of reach of all children. A popped or deflatedballoon in a small child's mouth, if inhaled, could easily obstruct his airway.

SWALLOWED OBJECTS

It is not uncommon for children to swallow nonfood objects, either deliberately or acciden-tally. Toddlers, who are prone to place small items into the mouth, are at particular risk forthis type of accident. Fortunately, once the object passes through the esophagus (the tubethat carries food from the throat to the stomach), it will usually progress through the rest ofthe intestinal tract without difficulty. As this occurs, the child will not show any signs of dis-tress, except in rare cases where an odd-shaped (and usually pointed) object such as a tooth-pick becomes stuck or perforates the bowel.

Treatment

An X-ray may be done to try to confirm the object's location (although

not all objects will be visible on an X-ray), and the child's stools may be examined for the next few days until the object passes. If it is not foundafter 4 to 7 days, a second X-ray may be performed. (If the object ismetallic, some emergency facilities use a metal detector to track itsprogress.) Seek immediate medical attention if abdominal pain developsbefore the object has passed out of the child's body.

Symptoms of object lodged in esophagus

A small percentage of swallowed objects become lodged in the esopha-gus. When this occurs, a mild pain will usually develop in the chest below the sternum (breastbone), along with increased salivation causedby the inability to swallow.

Treatment

• The child will be frightened, so keep him as calm as possible.

•DO NOT attempt to force the object into the stomach by giving fluidsor food.

•In most cases the object will pass into the stomach within 10minutes. But if pain or difficulty in swallowing persists, the child willneed emergency medical attention.

SWALLOWED SMALL BATTERIES

An X-ray of the chest/abdomen will usually disclose the location ofthe object. A specialist may be consulted and an endoscopy done. Inthis procedure a narrow, flexible fiber-optic device, known as an endo-scope, is passed into the sedated child's esophagus in an attempt todislodge or remove the foreign body.

Treatment for swallowing small batteries

If a child swallows a small "button battery' - the small, round batteryused in watches, hearing aids, and other electronic devices - see a doctorimmediately. A button battery that does not pass through the esophagusmost be removed (usually using an endoscope) because it can cause aserious local erosion or even a perforation within a matter of hours.

Other Health Care Articles:

Home :: Contact Us :: About Us :: Privacy Policy :: Terms of Use :: Site Map