CHOKING
CHOKING
CHOKING PARTIAL CHOKING Symtoms: Choking, but able to breathe, cough and speak. 1.Open the person's mouth and try to find the foreign body. If you see it clearly, use your fingers to take it out. Be careful not to push it further in. 2.If the foreign body cannot be found or reached but the person is in good condition, tell him to stay calm and breathe deeply and slowly, which will relax the airway. Take him to the Emergency Department of the nearest hospital at once. 3.If the blockage remains and the person is becoming weak, do the Heimlich maneuver. TOTAL BLOCKAGE CHOKING Symtoms: Choking and unable to breathe, cough and speak. Turning blue in the face. Instant action is needed. You have only 2 - 3 minutes to remove the blockage, before lack of oxygen causes brain damage. Do the Heimlich maneuver. HEIMLICH MANEUVER: Conscious Person 1. Stand behind the person and place your arms around his waist. 2. With one hand, make a fist and place it, thumb side first, against the patient's stomach slightly above the navel. 3. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into the person's stomach with a quick upward thrust. 4. It has to be of sufficient force and may be necessary to repeat up to 6 times to clear the airway. 5. If not successful, lie the person on his back and continue the Heimlich manoeuvre as for an unconscious person. Unconscious Person 1.Lie the person on his back. 2.Open his mouth. 3.Sweep deep into his mouth with a hooked finger to remove any blockage. If not successful, go to the next step. 4.Straddle your legs across the unconscious person's thighs. 5.Place the heel of one hand over the stomach area of the person slightly over the navel and cover it with your other hand. 6.Keep both straight and press into the stomach with a quick inward and upward thrust. 7.If this thrust is not successful to relieve the blocked airway, repeat the manoeuvre up to 4 times as necessary. NOTE REGARDING CHILDREN: Many children have a height and built which are similar to small adults. They can be treated in the same way as adult but using slightly less force. For the small child, seat yourself and lay the child over your knees with his head down. Support his chest with one hand and slap smartly between the shoulder blades up to 4 times with your other hand. If this does not work, it may be necessary to do the abdominal thrust as for the adult unconscious person, but use only one hand and apply less force in the thrust. SPECIAL FOR CHILDREN BELOW 1 YEAR OLD: The order of treatment is the same as for children but much lighter force is used and the position for back slapping and stomach thrust are different. Backslapping : 1.Place child face down at a angle of 60°. 2.Give four back blows rapidly with the heel of your hand high between the shoulder blades. 3.If the obstruction is not dislodged, place the child on his back on firm surface and deliver four thrusts upward and inward into the stomach area between the navel and bottom of the rib cage.
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