First Aid For
Choking

First aid for choking is the Heimlich Maneuver. A person can have their windpipe partially or completely blocked. Both situations are serious and require immediate attention. Lack of oxygen can cause brain damage in as little as 4 minutes.

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Signs of Choking

• The universal sign for choking is grabbing at the throat.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Weak coughing.
• Turning blue.
• Noisy breathing.
• Loss of consciousness (how to deal with this is discussed further down on this page).

Choking First Aid

You will also need to know what to do if the patient is unconscious. Below is the heimlich for a conscious patient.

Click here for how to treat an unconscious patient.

Conscious - Adults (and children over the age of one)

• Stand behind the patient.
• Make a fist and place it below the rib cage and above the navel of the patient.
• Grasp fist with your other hand.
• Give 6 to 10 quick sharp thrusts backward and upward.
• If patient is obese place thumb of left fist against breast bone not below the rib cage. Grasp fist with right hand and squeeze quickly 4 times.
• Continue uninterrupted until object is dislodged or help arrives.
• When object dislodges seek medical help to prevent complications that can arise from choking or from the first aid provided.

Conscious - Children under the age of one

• DO NOT perform these steps if the child is coughing forcefully or has a strong cry - this can dislodge the object on it's own.
• DO NOT try to grasp of pull out the object if the child is conscious.
• DO NOT perform these steps if the child has stopped breathing for other reasons such as asthma, allergic relations, infections or a blow to the head.
• Lay the child face down along your forearm, thigh or your lap.
• Hold child's chest in your hand.
• Lower the child's head lower then it's body.
• Give 5 sharp blows to the back between the shoulder blades. Use the heel of your hand.

• Turn child face up.
• Place two fingers in the middle of the breast bone between the nipples.
• Give 5 quick thrusts. Compressing the chest 1/3rd to 1/2 the depth of the chest.
• Continue 5 back blows and 5 chest thrust until object is dislodged or child loses consciousness. Scroll down to see what to do for unconsciousness.
• When object dislodges seek medical help to prevent complications that can arise from choking or from the first aid provided.

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