Choking

It’s amazing what people choke on nowadays. According to http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/safety-at-home-choking.aspx injury Facts 2017, Choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury death. Numbers show that out of the 5,051 people who died from choking in 2015 there were 2,848 older than 74. Food is the main cause for most of the choking deaths. Seniors with Dentures or have difficulty swallowing can increase this risk. Also, don’t forget that children for some reason discover the world by putting things in their mouth and it’s important to monitor children when playing with certain toys the size of a marble. Children are also known for choking on food. According to https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/injury_prevention/choking_prevention_for_children.htm At least one child dies from choking on food every five days in the U.S. and more than 12,000 children are taken to the hospital each year for food choking injuries.

Do you know the signs that some one is choking? If you were to ever see someone clutching their throat, coughing, gagging, wheezing, or passed out. What would you do? First, if possible you would want to ask them if they need help and if they would like for you to help them. It may sound funny to ask someone if they need help knowing that they might need help, but it will save you from a lawsuit. If they can’t answer you then yes it's understood they need help and you can go ahead and help them.

I’m sure you have heard of the Heimlich Maneuver. This is also known as the Abdominal thrust. This is the procedure for adults we will talk about children in just a bit. First you will want to stand behind the victim with one leg forward between the victim’s legs. Reach around the abdomen and locate the navel. Place the thumb side of your fist against the abdomen just above the navel. Grasp your fist with your other hand and thrust inward and upward into the victims abdomen with quick jerks. For any victim that you can't get your arms around the, such as a pregnant woman, give chest thrusts from behind and avoid squeezing the ribs with your arms.

If the victim loses consciousness or becomes unresponsive, lower the victim to the ground and begin CPR. For choking infants and children. First you would want to clear the airway and perform the following: Support the infant's body face down by holding the head in one hand with the torso in your forearm. Give five back slaps between the shoulder blades with the heel of your other hand. Place two fingers on the breastbone just below the nipple give five chest thrust about one per second about 1 ½ inches deep. Continue the cycles of five back slaps and five chest thrusts until the object is expelled or the infant becomes unresponsive. If the infant becomes unresponsive begin CPR.

I hope this information was helpful. Please keep your children safe and be prepared to save someone’s life if possible.