Choking Relief for Adults,Children, and Infants

Question 1

What kind of obstruction is this?

• Good air exchange
• Can cough forcefully
• May wheeze between coughs

Answer 1

Mild airway obstruction

Question 2

What steps do you take for mild airway obstruction?

Answer 2

• Encourage to cough as long as good air exchange
• Do not interfere with his own attempts, stay with him and monitor
• If continues and progresses to signs of severe obstruction, call 911

Question 3

What kind of obstruction is this?

• Universal choking sign
• Unable to speak/cry
• Poor or no air exchange
• Weak, ineffective cough or none
• High-pitched noise when inhaling or none
• Increased resp difficulty
• Cyanosis

Answer 3

Severe airway obstruction

Question 4

What do you do if pt becomes unresponsive?

Answer 4

Abdominal thrusts (Heimlich)

Question 5

How do abdominal thrusts if pt standing?

Answer 5

• Stand/kneel behind pt, wrap arms around
  waist
• Make fist with one hand
• Thumb against abdomen, in the midline
  above navel and well below breastbone
• Quick forceful upward thrust
• Repeat thrusts until expelled or becomes
  unresponsive
• Each thrust a separate distinct movement
  to relive the obstruction.

Question 6

What do you do if pt is pregnant or obese?

Answer 6

Perform chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts

Question 7

Choking victim becomes unresponsive, what do you do?

Answer 7

Look for foreign body in the throat
- Shout for help, send them to call 911
- Lower pt to ground
- Begin CPR starting with chest 
  compressions
- Do not check for a pulse
- Every time you are about to give a 
  breath, open mouth wide and check for 
  object. Remove with fingers if easy, if not, 
  continue CPR 5 cycles or 2 minutes, have 
  someone call 911 if not done

Question 8

True or false: When choking victim become unconscious, the muscles in larynx may relax, convering a complete airway obstruction to a partial. The chest compression may create as much force as abd thrusts. Giving 30 compressions and removing the object may then allow effective breaths.

Answer 8

TRUE!

Question 9

How do you know the airway obstruction has been removed?

Answer 9

- You can feel air movement and see the 
  chest rise when you give breaths
- You've seen and removed a foreign 
  body from mouth
If still unresonsive, treat as any unresponsive victim and ck breathing and pulse, 911 called?, provide CPR or rescue breathing as needed

Question 10

The patient is now responsive, why do you encourage him to seek medical attention?

Answer 10

Potential complications from abdominal thrusts should be evaluated

Question 11

Do you use abdominal thrusts in infant?

Answer 11

No, use back slaps and chest thrusts

Question 12

What are the steps to relieve choking in an infant?

Answer 12

• Kneel or sit him in your lap
• Take off shirt if easy to do
• Facedown, head slightly lower than
  chest, resting on your forearm, avoid
  compressing the throat.
• 5 back slaps forcefully between shoulder
  blades
• Turn over, supporting his head lower than
  trunk, give 5 chest thrusts middle of chest
  over lower half of breastbone, 1 per
  second, each with the intent of dislodging
  the object
• Repeat the sequence of 5 back slaps to 5
  back slaps until object removed or
  becomes unresponsibe

Question 13

If infant becomes unresponsive, what do you do?

Answer 13

Stop giving backslaps and begin CPR, starting with compressions, no need to ck pulse

Question 14

What are the steps for choking infant CPR?

Answer 14

SAH bnb CPR AED

• Remember firm, flat surface
• Start with compressions as is not breathing but look for object in back of throat every time you open the airway. Remove it if easy. After 2” CPR, activate 911 if not already done so

Question 15

Should you perform a blind finger sweep?

Answer 15

No, it might push the object back into the airway, causing further obstruction or injury