Effective techniques for assisting someone who's choking
- jude72
- Apr 12, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 15
Choking can happen to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Young, old or in between, if doesn't matter. It's a simple thing but it can be life-threatening.
If someone started choking near you, would you know what to do? Could you save a child's life if they were choking on something they swallowed?
Choking is such a common risk, no one is really immune from it. Knowing how to handle choking quickly and properly can literally save someone's life.
The most common causes of choking
Most people tend to choke on food. But there can be other causes, especially among children. Accidentally swallowing things they shouldn't have in their mouths in the first place is a common issue with children.
Toys, parts of toys, things lying around on the floor, stuff that just looks interesting - turn your back and in a second a young child can have it in their mouth.
Generally speaking however, whatever is causing the person to choke, the way of handling the problem is essentially the same.
What are the signs of someone choking?
When you see someone:
gasping for air
violently coughing
struggling to speak or breathe
or holding their hands to their throat in extreme agitation or anxiety,
you can be pretty sure they are choking.
Your first action is to try and dislodge whatever is stuck in their throat. The best option is just to use your fingers. (Don’t waste time with gloves if they are not handy – time is of the essence.)
If you can’t easily remove the item causing the choking with your fingers, immediately call 000 and get an ambulance on the way.
Then immediately start applying the “Back Blow/Chest Thrust” Sequence that can help to dislodge the item.
How to use the Back Blow & Chest Thrust method for choking
To apply the Back Blow method, lean the person over at the waist in a standing position.. Now with the heel of your palm (the large bony base of your thumb) quickly give the person 5 short, sharp blows right in the middle of their back.
Check to see if this has dislodged the item and the person can now spit it out. If they can, you can stop this action.
But if the person is still struggling to remove the item from their throat, you need to switch to the Chest Thrust method.
Turn them around, stand them upright and again deliver 5 short, sharp blows with the heel of your hand but this time to the middle of their chest. The blows should have a slight upward inflection.
Again, check if this has dislodged the item. If not, return to the Back Blows.
Keep alternating between the Back Blows and Chest Thrusts, doing 5 each time and turning the person around.
NOTE: To prevent your blows pushing the person over, you may need to stand them against a wall or let them rest their hand on a table or bench for the Back Blows.
If the person stops breathing and/or goes into cardiac arrest, immediately immediate CPR, even if they still have something lodged in their throat that you can’t remove.
How to help children or babies who are choking
For children you can use the same basic Back Blow/Chest Thrust method,. But of course you need to be much more gentle and conscious of your strength so that you don’t harm the child’s spine or ribs by hitting them too hard.
To deliver Back Blows on a baby or infant, simply lay them across your lap/thigh or along your outstretched arm, with their head angled downwards to allow gravity to assist with the item coming out. For Chest Thrusts simply turn them over. Again be even more gentle with a baby.
Again if a child or baby stops breathing start applying CPR. If you don't know how to perform CPR or are uncertain on how to do it on a child or baby, please enroll in one of our public first aid training classes. We offer them several times a week, they are not expensive and anyone is welcome.
You can even do most of your training online at home at time that suits you, then come to us for your final practical assessment. Find out more at https://www.resultsfirstaid.com/courses
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