Choking Relief
Choking is one of the emergencies you are most likely to meet outside a cardiac arrest, and relieving it is part of every AHA BLS course. The technique depends on age and on whether the person is still responsive.
In short
Responsive adult or child who cannot breathe, speak or cough: abdominal thrusts. Responsive infant: 5 back slaps and 5 chest thrusts, repeated. Anyone who becomes unresponsive: start CPR, checking the mouth before breaths. Never do blind finger sweeps.
A person who can cough forcefully should be encouraged to keep coughing. Severe obstruction looks different: they cannot speak, breathe or cough effectively, may clutch the throat, and may turn blue.
Stand behind them, place a fist just above the navel and give quick inward and upward abdominal thrusts until the object comes out or they become unresponsive. For a pregnant or very large person, use chest thrusts instead.
Hold the infant face down along your forearm, head lower than the chest, and give up to 5 back slaps between the shoulder blades. Turn the infant over and give up to 5 chest thrusts with two fingers. Repeat until the object comes out or the infant becomes unresponsive. Do not use abdominal thrusts on infants.
Call for help and start CPR, beginning with compressions. Each time you open the airway to give breaths, look in the mouth and remove an object only if you can see it. See the BLS algorithm and infant and child BLS.
Anyone who received abdominal thrusts should be checked by a clinician. For non-clinical staff, the first aid course teaches choking relief alongside other emergencies.
This guide summarises what is taught on the course. The American Heart Association CPR and ECC Guidelines, linked below, are the authoritative source.
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If they cannot cough, speak or breathe, give abdominal thrusts.
Cycles of 5 back slaps and 5 chest thrusts. Never use abdominal thrusts on an infant.
Start CPR, and look in the mouth for an object each time you open the airway.
Only remove an object you can see. Never do blind finger sweeps.
Yes, for adults, children and infants.
Reading is not the same as doing. Safety First Medical Services is an American Heart Association training centre on Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi, with classroom, HeartCode and on-site BLS training and a two-year AHA BLS Provider eCard.
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Last reviewed by the training team at Safety First Medical Services, an American Heart Association training centre at Addax Office Tower, Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi. Call +971 55 761 9841 or email training@safetyfirstmed.ae.