Choking

Symptoms

  • Hands will grasp throat
  • Breathlessness
  • Noisy breathing
  • Inability to cough
  • Skin, nails and lips may turn blue
  • Loss of consciousness

Treatment

  • Heimlich maneuver and CPR –2 techniques
  • If person is unable to talk, try Heimlich maneuver which forces the diaphragm up to the lungs and creates an artificial cough

Heimlich Maneuver on a standing person

  • Stand behind the person
  • Form a fist with one hand
  • Place fist below ribcage, thumb inward
  • Hold the fist with other hand
  • Keep arms off ribcage
  • Give four inward and upward thrust
  • Repeat till the object is ejected
  • Same method is used for a child too

Heimlich Maneuver On an  Unconscious Person

  • If person is lying down, straddle the person with your knees
  • Place heel of one hand above waistline
  • Place other hand over the first
  • Give four inward and upward thrust
  • Repeat till object is coughed out

Heimlich Maneuver On an Infant 

  • Place your forearm over your raised knees
  • Place the infant face down over your fore arm
  • Give four blows using the heel of your hand
  • Repeat till object comes out
  • If it does not work, turn the baby
  • Place two fingers an inch below the imaginary line connecting nipples
  • Give four thrusts forcefully to bring out the object
  • Repeat if required