If someone is choking, it is important to know how to intervene. The Heimlich maneuver (abdominal compressions) is an emergency technique that can save a life in a matter of seconds. This is a simple procedure that often allows you to move food or another object that is obstructing the airways, as it increases abdominal and chest pressure allowing the person to expel the foreign body.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: on a Standing Person
Step 1. Make sure the individual is really choking
Typically, a victim of this accident puts their hands to their throats. If you notice someone doing this, look for other signs of choking. You should only perform the Heimlich maneuver if there is an airway obstruction. Here's what you need to pay attention to:
- The victim cannot breathe or does so with great difficulty by emitting loud noises;
- He cannot speak;
- He is unable to cough to get rid of the obstruction;
- The lips and nails are blue or gray;
- He loses consciousness.
Step 2. Inform the victim that you are about to perform the Heimlich maneuver
Tell her that you want to help her and that you are about to practice this technique.
Step 3. Bring your arms around her waist
Stand with your legs apart to better support your body; gently wrap your arms around the person's abdomen and let them lean forward a little.
Step 4. Put your hands in place
Make a fist, it doesn't matter which one; place your fist just below the individual's rib cage, but above the navel, and grasp it with the other hand.
Step 5. Do a series of compressions
Press quickly and firmly towards the victim's abdomen. Push your fist inward and upward, you should act as if you want to lift the person.
- Make sure the compressions are quick and intense.
- Press five times in quick succession; if the obstruction does not move, repeat the series.
Step 6. Hit the back
If you are unable to clear the airways with the Heimlich maneuver, switch to this technique; try to hit the area between the shoulder blades.
Apply some force, as you have to get a foreign body out, but reduce it where you hit with your hands; you must avoid squeezing the victim's ribcage or abdomen
Step 7. Call emergency services
If you are unable to remove the obstruction, call 911. If the Heimlich maneuver failed on the first attempt and you are performing the second set of beats on the back, it would be more appropriate for someone else to take care of the call. When the ambulance arrives, let the health workers deal with the situation and move away from the victim.
Method 2 of 4: on a Lying Person
Step 1. Turn the victim into a supine position
If you cannot wrap your arms around his waist or if the person has fallen, have him lie on his back; Gently instruct her to move like this and help her if necessary.
Step 2. Kneel near the pelvis of the distressed individual
From this position lean forward so that you are exactly above his hips.
Step 3. Put your hands in place
Overlap each other and rest the base of the one below on the victim's abdomen, under the ribcage but above the navel.
Step 4. Push down
Take advantage of the weight of the body and press your hands on the abdomen, moving slightly also towards the person's mouth; perform several compressions until the obstruction is pushed out of the throat.
Step 5. Call 118
If you can't clear the airways through the Heimlich maneuver, call the ambulance. If someone is choking and you are unable to help them, professionals need to intervene; answer any questions when they arrive and let them take charge of the situation.
Method 3 of 4: on a Newborn
Step 1. Hold the baby face down
To begin, find a stable surface on which to place the little prone victim; make sure his face is turned to the side so he can breathe and kneel at his feet.
You can also hold it on your lap
Step 2. Quickly tap his back five times
Use the base of the palm of your hand and hit the area between the shoulder blades firmly; it is hoped that in this way the foreign body will be expelled quickly.
When you work on a newborn, you don't have to be too violent; you do not have to press with great force, otherwise you can do damage; the force of gravity combined with the percussion should be sufficient to clear the airways
Step 3. Turn the baby over
If no object comes out of his mouth, place him on his back by supporting his head with one hand so that he is lower than his feet.
Step 4. Do five chest compressions
Place your fingers in the lower half of his breastbone, making sure they are right in the center of the bone and not lateral to it. Press quickly five times; if the obstruction comes out of the baby's mouth, stop the action.
Step 5. Call the ambulance if you can't clear the respiratory tract
Alert 118 immediately if you don't get any results; while you wait, keep repeating the sequences described above.
Method 4 of 4: on Yourself
Step 1. Make a hand into a fist
To start, form a fist with one hand, it doesn't matter which one you decide to use.
Step 2. Place your fist on your abdomen
Make the side of the thumb touch the body just below the rib cage but above the navel and wrap the fist with the other hand.
Step 3. Do abdominal compressions
Press your hands in and up until you can clear the obstruction; proceed with rapid movements.
Step 4. Go to the doctor
After escaping death by suffocation, you should see a doctor to make sure you have not suffered any damage; you should also call 911 or go to the emergency room, in case you can't clear your airways.
Warnings
- If you don't know what to do, call the medical emergency number. The operator can give you directions to take care of the victim while you wait for help to arrive (set hands-free mode)
- Choking is a fatal accident; be ready to act immediately on a person in need.
- Do not hit the back of an individual who is choking while coughing! The cough is an indication of only partial obstruction, the blows could move the foreign body down until it causes a complete block. Let the victim cough to expel the object or wait for the choking signs to be evident before intervening.
