Choking Emergency
You are seated at the table, enjoying a delicious meal, when suddenly your spouse or child begins to choke. A piece of food has lodged in the windpipe, cutting off oxygen and turning the skin blue. What do you do?
- Stand behind the victim and wrap your arms around his or her waist, allowing the head, arms and upper torso to hang forward.
- Grasp your fist with your other hand and place the fist against the victim’s abdomen, slightly above the navel and below the rib cage.
- Press your fist forcefully into the victim’s abdomen with a quick upward thrust.
- Repeat several times if necessary, until the obstructing object is expelled. (If you are the victim, and no help is at hand, perform the above maneuver on yourself by pressing your fist upward into the abdomen as described, or use the back of a chair.)
If the victim has already collapsed, turn him so he is lying on his back. Then proceed as follows:
- Facing victim, kneel astride his hips.
- With one of your hands on top of the other, place the heel of your bottom hand on the abdomen slightly above the navel and below the rib cage.
- Press forcefully into the victim’s abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Repeat if necessary.
Tags: choke, choking emergency first aid, emergency first aid