How to help a Choking Child
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The subject of choking feels morbid, but it is of the upmost importance that you familiarize yourself with WHEN to help a child who is choking (most of the time they don’t actually need help or a slap on the back, just to remain nearby and encourage them) and HOW to properly deliver abdominal thrusts.
The longer the time without oxygen, the greater the severity of severe brain damage and death.
Most 911 calls take an average of 7 minutes for help to arrive if you live in a populated city.
What YOU do at home has a greater impact on survival than anything the doctors or nurses can do in the hospital.
Do you have a baby under 12 months? The technique is different. See how to help a baby choking here.
Highlights:
Deliver abdominal thrusts to children 12 months of age and older.
They can be sitting in your lap or standing in front of you.
Find their belly button and place a fist directly above.
Deliver thrusts one at a time as needed by pushing “in and up"
Start softer and build in pressure
Kids always need to be evaluated by a physician if they needed thrusts, as they can develop an esophageal perforation (a tiny rip in their throat).
Choking is one of the leading causes of death for babies and kids, especially up to about age 3-4. There are practical steps you can take to prevent choking, like:
Make sure babies and kids are SEATED at the table to eat in an upright position to eat.
They should be FREE OF DISTRACTIONS like TV/movies, iPad, etc. This can be particularly hard with our busy on-the-go lifestyles (at least for me personally).
Make sure they are SUPERVISED.
Avoid foods that are round and slippery like hot dogs and grapes. Use extra caution with nuts of any kind.
Any object smaller than a size D battery is a choking hazard
I recommend EVERYONE get CPR trained, because you never know when someone will need help.
If you have a child, practice getting them into position to deliver abdominal thrusts (but don’t actually deliver thrusts!). When you are frantic is NOT the best time to learn, so get familiar with how to deliver the thrusts.
The last tip I have is to invest in a Life Vac and get familiar with how to use it. I purchased the Travel Kit for about $70, which comes with an adult and child mask. It is designed to be used when the Heimlich is not effective, which happens in 30% of choking cases. It is a one-way valve that sucks out the obstructed object from the airway to either resolve the choking incident or remove the object to be able to give effective CPR, and is easy to use. I always have mine in my trunk, so that I can grab it quickly if we are out and about or at home (don’t do this if it gets extremely hot or cold where you live). Knowing we have this extra lifeline is priceless. A mom from my mom group actually used hers on a friend’s husband who was over eating steak!
The Life Vac is a product designed to remove an airway blockage after the Heimlich does not work, which happens in 30% of choking cases. Shown above is the travel kit ($69.95).
I HOPE YOU NEVER HAVE TO USE ANY RESCUE INTERVENTIONS, BUT I PERSONALLY FEEL MUCH BETTER KNOWING WHAT TO DO IF THE SITUATION EVER AROSE AND I HOPE YOU WILL TOO!
-TRACI LYN CLARK RN, BSN, OCN, PHN