Choking is a common hazard for both adults and children. You need to learn the first aid techniques related to airway clearance at one point in life to help yourself and those around you. Some of the techniques we will dive into herein have been around for ages and they do not require any machines or gear to help clear the airway.
Technological advancements in the medical field have led to the development of airway clearance devices such as dechoker that make the unblocking process more manageable especially for toddlers. Here are some clearance techniques that you can rely on to save a life when someone near you is chocking.
Back Blows and Abdominal Thrusts
This is one of the oldest tricks in the book that most people are familiar with. It works wonders for anyone with an obstruction that makes them unable to cough. If the person can cough, you should encourage this as the pressure will help dislodge the foreign matter from the airway. Consider using the five and five rule when administering this airway clearance method.
Position yourself to the side or back of the choking person. Place your arm on their chest and lean them forward until they are parallel with the ground. Using the heel of your hand, deliver five blows between the shoulder blades of the person. For a child, kneel behind them and follow the above procedure.
Combine the back blows with abdominal thrusts alternating five of each. For the abdominal thrusts, stand behind the person and place one foot slightly in front of the other for stability. Wrap your arms around their waist and tip them forward slightly. Curl your fingers into a fist and position it a few inches above the navel.
Hold the fist with the other hand and press into the abdomen. Use a quick upward thrust movement to create the necessary pressure to force the obstruction out of the airways. This combined with the back blows will help you achieve the desired results within a short period.
This technique works best for people who are conscious. If the person is unconscious, you have to be carefully to ensure that the obstruction does not damage their airway or kill them. Here are the steps that you need to follow to remove the blockage from the airway.
Lower the person on their back onto the floor. The arms need to be on their side for comfort and to make your work more manageable. Check the mouth to try and see the item blocking the airway.
If the blockage is visible, you can go in with a finger and remove it. This is risky and you need to be sure that the finger sweep will work. Do not insert anything down the airway if you cannot see the blockage.
When the object is invisible, the other alternative is to use chest compressions similar to those they use for CPR to force the blockage out. Check the mouth often to see if the object moves up and you can remove it with a finger sweep.
Remember to call an emergency service as you perform the first aid to guarantee that help is on the way if the processes we describe above are not effective.
