Cuts Article

First Aid for Choking

When a piece of food or other object is stuck in a person’s throat and blocking air flow for breathing that person is choking. A choking person can be identified by the person holding one’s hands around the throat, being unable to speak or the skin turning blue. There are several different tips to consider for first aid for choking in these cases.

The basic method of first aid for choking is the Heimlich maneuver. To treat a choking person with this you should stand behind the choking person and put your arms around the person’s waist. The person should be tipped forward and you should have your hand in a fist pressing quickly into the person’s abdomen in an upward manner. This should be repeated until the object the person is choking on is removed.

If you need to perform first aid for choking on yourself the Heimlich maneuver can work too. You’ll need to put your fist right over your navel and bend forward over a hard surface. The first should move inward and upward. You will need to use this method so that you can take care of it yourself if no one else is around.

First aid for choking is also important for a pregnant woman who is choking. You will need to put your hands higher above a pregnant woman that with a regular person in administering first aid for choking. This should be done near the breastbone. Be sure to press hard into the woman’s chest quickly so that her throat can be cleared. This method of first aid for choking can also be used on obese people.

If a person is unconscious you will need to use a different method of first aid for choking. Put the victim on the person’s back on the floor and reach your fingers into the mouth to pull out what is causing the blockage of the person’s throat. It is important to be careful with this method of first aid for choking, especially with small children.

CPR will be needed if the method of first aid for choking that you use does not work. Chest compressions used in CPR can help to get the object out of the person’s throat. You will need to check the mouth from time to time when using this method of first aid for choking so that you know that you are making progress with it.

Using the right method of first aid for choking will help to make the process more effective. Be sure to consider these methods and to make sure that the person is able to breath properly after you perform first aid for choking and can get the object removed from the person’s throat.