A choking emergency can quickly become very frightening.
Knowing how to remove obstacles while remaining calm can mean the difference between life and death, whether it’s your own or someone else’s.
The Heimlich maneuver is a first aid method recommended by most health organizations that involves pushing the abdomen out to unblock the windpipe.
8-year-old boy uses Heimlich maneuver to save choking friend: Watch the video
Massachusetts General Brigham, a health system in Boston, Massachusetts, shared on its website step-by-step guidance on how to effectively perform Heimlich therapy, provided by emergency medicine physician Wendy Macias Konstantopoulos, M.D. .
Before starting Heimlich, experts advise making sure the patient is not breathing, talking, or coughing. (St. Petersburg)
1.Call 119
If you are experiencing a choking emergency, Brigham suggests first calling 911 to report that you may need help from a medical professional.
If other people are present, one person should call 911 and the other person should start the Heimlich.
2. Assess the situation
Macias-Constantopoulos said the Heimlich maneuver should not be performed on people who can still speak, breathe or cough.
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In that case, encourage the person showing these signs to continue coughing to clear the object.
If none of these signs are present, or the person is showing universal signs of choking, start by punching the person in the back between the shoulder blades up to five times sharply with the heel of your hand.
Experts say it’s best to start Heimlich if you’re showing the universal signs of choking, like those shown here. (St. Petersburg)
3. Start Heimlich
If you are still choking after several blows to the back, experts recommend starting the Heimlich maneuver.
Mathias Konstantopoulos’s instructions are to first stand behind the choking person or, if it’s a child, kneel down.
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Wrap your arms around your back and around your torso. Make a fist with one hand and clench it with the other.
Place your hand between the person’s belly button and ribcage.
When administering Heimlich, the doctor told her to place her fist above her belly button and below her ribcage. (St. Petersburg)
Next, push your diaphragm inward and upward. This forces air out of your lungs and clears the blockage. My doctor advised me to repeat these abdominal thrusts up to 5 times.
If choking persists, continue with 5 blows to the back and 5 thrusts to the abdomen until the airway is cleared or help arrives.
For people who are pregnant or who may be obese, the Heimlich maneuver, which involves pressing the chest against the sternum or center of the chest five times instead of the abdomen, can be performed.
What to do if your baby is choking
General Brigham warned that the Heimlich maneuver should not be used on infants under 12 months of age.
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Alternatively, if your baby under 1 year is choking, hold him face down along the length of his arms or thighs, keeping his head lower than his butt.
The medical system recommends hitting your baby’s back firmly, but not hard enough to cause injury, up to five times.
The recommended Heimlich maneuver differs for adults and children. (St. Petersburg)
Once the blockage is cleared, check your baby’s mouth and remove any visible objects with your fingers.
If blows to the back do not work, try holding the baby on his back in the same direction and perform chest thrusts.
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Keep your baby’s head lower than your body and support your baby’s neck and head with your hands, says Mathias Konstantopoulos.
Place two or three fingers on the baby’s sternum, or the center of the chest, and press sharply down and up one inch up to five times.
If you are choking and you are alone, you can do the same Heimlich maneuver on yourself. (St. Petersburg)
Doctors advised parents and guardians to be careful with foods such as popcorn, nuts, grapes, hot dogs and hard candy, as children are especially at risk of choking.
“Cut your children’s food into small pieces before eating,” she recommended.
“Keep choking hazards out of children’s reach, keep an eye on them during meals, and monitor playtime.”
What to do in case of suffocation
According to General Brigham Massa, if you are choking alone, you can perform the same Heimlich maneuver on yourself.
Place your fist directly above your belly button and pull your diaphragm in and up.
Alternatively, try bending over a hard surface, such as the back of a chair or a countertop, and pressing into the same area of ​​your abdomen to apply a similar force to your lungs.
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The health system says many states allow people to text 911 if they are unable to speak.
“Enter the numbers ‘9-1-1’ in the ‘To’ or ‘Recipient’ field,” Macias-Constantopoulos instructed. “Please text me immediately with your location and the nature of your emergency.”
