Choking occurs when a piece of food, an object, or a liquid gets stuck in the throat.
A person may get choked from breathing in fumes or eating or drinking too
rapidly.

Choking can be dangerous and may cause serious life-threatening complications.

A person who has a choking sensation may cough continuously until they expel the
food or liquid from their throat or airway. However, in some cases, the choking
substance gets stuck in the throat and cuts off the air supply.

A person who is getting choked may display an inability to :

  • Speak
  • Cough
  • Breathe

They may also have a bluish tinge on the lips, skin, or nails from the lack of
oxygen developed by the obstruction.

What to do when someone is choking :

As per the Red Cross Society’s “five-and-five” method to treat a person.

  1. Encourage the choking person to cough or if a person cannot breathe you need to assist them.
  2. Manually try to remove the obstruction, bend them forward and give up to 4-5 back strikes.

(strike the person hard on the back between the shoulder with the heel of your
hand).

A blow in the back causes a lot of pressure and vibration in the airway, which
frequently works to clear the blockage from the airway. The person will breathe
normally when the obstruction has been removed.

3. If the person continues to feel suffocated, perform up to five abdominal thrusts by holding them at the waist and pulling upward and inward above their abdomen.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) helps to  manage choking

First Aid CPR procedures include:

Lay the person on your back on a hard surface like the floor.

Place the back of your hand on the lower half of the person’s sternum. Place your other hand on top of the first and interlock your fingers. Raise your fingers so that only the back of your hand touches your chest. Children from 1 year old to 8 years old should use only one hand. Babies use two fingers.

Press firmly and gently (compress to 1/3 depth of chest) 30 times. Then take two breaths. Repeat at a rate of 5 cycles in 2 min.

Continue CPR and do not stop until the rescuer takes over or the patient recovers.

When a situation poses a risk to your life, call emergency medical help.

Because of choking, an insufficient supply of oxygen reaches the lungs and the brain may get damaged within 4 to 6 minutes without the proper flow of oxygen.