Tutorial: Assisting a Choking Victim
SLIDE 1
When a person is choking, she will often cough to try to dislodge the object. Coughing
is the body’s best defense against choking. If you see someone who may be choking,
first encourage them to cough. Then, direct an individual to call 911. Stay nearby the
victim and be ready to act. If the victim loses the ability to cough and speak, begin
giving abdominal thrusts.
SLIDE 2
How do you know if someone is choking? The image above shows the universal sign
for choking. If someone is doing this, pay attention; he may be choking. Ask the person,
“Do you need help?” If the person is unable to speak or has noisy breathing, or if the
person begins to turn blue or loses consciousness, it is time to act.
SLIDE 3
If a person is choking, stand behind them and wrap your arms around the person’s
waist. Make a fist with one hand, and place it four inches above the victim’s navel. Now,
grasp fist with your other hand and give firm upward thrusts until the object is dislodged.
Continue to give thrusts until patient breathes or goes unconscious.
SLIDE 4
When a person is obese or pregnant, you will need to make slight adjustments
because it is harder to put pressure on the diaphragm, and you have to be careful not to
injure an unborn infant. For these victims, you will place your fist higher, so that is at the
base of the breastbone. The movement will be the same, sharply pull up and in. Make
sure this is done high in the chest area so that damage is not done to a developing
infant.
SLIDE 5
There may be times that you are choking and you are unable to tell someone else,
either because you can’t speak or because no one is there. In that case, you will need
to perform abdominal thrusts on yourself. You can use a dining chair or counter-top to
help apply the pressure. Place your fist in the diaphragm and hold it with your other
hand. Resting your hands on the back of the chair or counter, push the fist hard and
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fast. When doing abdominal thrusts on yourself, it is extremely important to push it hard
enough to dislodge the obstruction quickly so you don’t lose consciousness.
SLIDE 6
If a person goes unconscious while you are assisting them, carefully ease victim to the
floor to avoid further injury. Lay the victim on his back. Next, place heal of one hand four
inches above the navel, place your other hand on top of the first hand and thrust firmly
upwards five times. After five thrusts, make visual check of the mouth to see if the item
was dislodged. If a dislodged object is visible, sweep the object only if it is fully
dislodged. Sweeping an object partly blocked may make the choking worse.
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