Learning objectives

a. to assess how serious a person’s choking is

b. how to treat mild and severe choking in adults and children

c. how to treat a choking baby.

You will learn:

a. to assess how serious a person’s choking is

Suddenly your friend starts choking on a piece of food…

… struggling for breath… holding his throat… turning red in the face…

mild choking

both

unable to speak difficulty

breathing

unable to breathe coughs red face

holding throat

unable to cough

answers when questioned

First ask: “Are you choking?”

Sort the boxes into the Venn diagram. See the next slide for answers…

severe choking

a. to assess how serious a person’s choking is

mild choking

severe choking

unable to speak

difficulty breathing

unable to breathe

coughs

red face

holding throat

unable to cough

answers when questioned

First ask: “Are you choking?”

both

a. to assess how serious a person’s choking is

If choking is mild, encourage the choking person to cough.

This should clear the problem.

a. to assess how serious a person’s choking is

If your friend can’t speak or cough, the choking is severe.

Your friend’s airway has been blocked by food.

Unable to breathe, your friend may quickly pass out.

You must act right away.

a. to assess how serious a person’s choking is

Airway

Food

When someone’s choking badly, you must take charge. The video clip on the right shows you what to do…

> where should you give the person backblows?

> what should you do after each one?

> what should you do with your hands when giving abdominal thrusts?

> how many cycles of back blows and abdominal thrusts should you give?

> then what should you do?

b. how to treat severe choking

If someone’s choking severely, try back blows.

1. Get the casualty to lean forwards, support their chest with one hand.

2. Give up to 5 sharp blows between the casualty’s shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.

3. Quickly check their mouth to see if the blockage has come out after each back blow.

b. how to treat severe choking

Still choking? Try abdominal thrusts…

4. Stand behind the casualty.

5. Put both arms around the casualty.

6. Put one fist just above their belly button.

7. Grab your fist with your other hand.

8. Pull sharply inwards and upwards up to 5 times.

9. Quickly check their mouth to see if the blockage has come out after each thrust.

b. how to treat severe choking

If there’s no change call 999 for an ambulance. Keep going until the casualty stops choking, or the emergency services arrive. Be prepared to perform CPR if they collapse and are not breathing.

Still Choking?

Give back blows and abdominal thrusts 3 times.

(5 back blows + 5 Abdominal thrusts) x3.

b. how to treat severe choking

How does an abdominal thrust work?

It pushes air from the lungs and up the windpipe forcing the object out.

Can you hurt someone by doing abdominal thrusts?

Yes. Anyone who has had this treatment needs to be checked afterwards by a doctor.

Where do the red words belong?

pushes doctor abdominal checked lungs hurt windpipe

b. how to treat severe choking

Jon’s story My dad started choking last year at a BBQ. He was panicking - couldn't breathe or anything. At first I thought he was mucking around. I gave him a whack on the back or 'back blows' as they're called. The first one didn't work so I had to do it again. The second one worked. Dad coughed up a bit of sausage. It was such a relief, I was treated like a hero for the rest of the day - well, I got extra pudding anyway.

b. how to treat severe choking

Treating a choking baby is slightly different from treating an adult or a child. When a baby is choking severely, he or she can't cough, cry or make any other noise.

In first aid, a baby means 0-1 years old.

c. how to treat a choking baby

What to do

> check inside the baby’s mouth

> use your fingertips to gently take out anything that shouldn’t be there

> don’t push your whole finger into the baby’s mouth though – that could make things worse because babies are more delicate.

c. how to treat a choking baby

c.) Support baby’s head with your fingers.

b.) Use heel of hand, rather than palm, fingers or fist.

a.) Place baby along forearm, face down, with head low.

Give up to 5 back blows, with the heel of your hand. They should not be as hard as for an adult or child.

Check the baby’s mouth after each blow. If choking continues…

a.) What label

should go here?

Click to see!

b.) Now decide on

this label.

c.) And what about this label?

c. how to treat a choking baby

c.) Lay baby face up along forearm. Keep baby’s head low.

b.) Support baby’s head with your fingers.

a.) Fingers should be just below the nipple line.

Give up to 5 chest thrusts. Push inwards and upwards, against the middle of the baby’s chest between the nipples.

Quickly check the baby’s mouth after each thrust.

a.) What label

should go here?

b.) And here?

c.) And here?

c. how to treat a choking baby

If the baby is still choking…

> you should do three cycles of back blows and chest thrusts in total (two more)

> take the baby with you to call 999 for an ambulance

> keep going with chest thrusts and back blows until help comes.

c. how to treat a choking baby

Tara’s story

My parent's had gone to the supermarket. I was looking after my 8 month-old baby sister. She likes putting stuff in her mouth like all babies. Suddenly she started to choke. I was terrified. I held her in front of me, face down, with her head low, then gave her 5 back blows. Nothing happened. I turned her over so she was face up and gave chest thrusts with two fingers. It worked! It felt like ages but must've only been a couple of minutes. Mum and Dad were amazed at the story. Mum said she wouldn't have known what to do herself - good job I was there.

c. how to treat a choking baby

The main points again…

If not…

> 5 back blows

> 5 abdominal thrusts (chest thrusts for a baby)

> try this 3 times – call 999 if it doesn’t work

> keep going with the treatment…

> … until help comes, or the casualty starts breathing

> start CPR if the casualty passes out.

> ask: “Are you choking?”

> if they can talk, cough or breathe encourage casualty to cough.

Mild

Severe

Plenary

Interactive quiz.

Design a poster about choking.

DAN: I… can’t… [GASP]

SUE: What’s wrong? Are you choking?

Finish this radio script.

You’ve completed this lesson on choking.

Test your knowledge in our interactive quiz, or find out more with one of these activities…

Find out more