Choking in adults and children

Choking is a blockage in the windpipe that makes it difficult or impossible for a person to breath because air cannot pass into the lungs. Somebody who is choking will often do so quietly, initially turning red as he or she struggles to take air in, grasping at the neck and mouth and eventually losing color, with a blue tinge to the lips. without treatment, a person will become unconscious and will die. Choking in adults is often as a result of eating a meal too quickly or of eating on the move.

TREATMENT FOR AN ADULT WHO IS CHOKING
If the victim is able to speak or cough, then the situation is less serious. Encourage him or her to continue coughing if able. Check the mouth to see if any obstacle can be easily removed. Do not sweep in the mouth blindly, and take great care not to push down into the throat. If at any time the person shows signs of becoming weak, stops breathing or coughing, or begins to lose color and turn blue, perform the Heimlich maneuver immediately.

THE HEIMLICH MANEUVER
The purpose of this maneuver is to displace any obstruction blocking the windpipe by forcing a cough. Stand or kneel behind the casualty and put both arms around the upper abdomen. Clench your fist and place it, thumb side in, between the belly button and the bottom of the breastbone. Grasp it with your other hand. Keep your arms away from the ribcage and pull sharply inwards and upwards 4 times. This movement thrusts the diaphragm up toward the lungs, creating a cough.

For a casualty who is lying down or unconscious, place the heel of one hand just below the breastbone. Place the other hand on top and give 4 short, upward thrusts. If the obstruction is still not relieved, repeat the maneuver. Recheck the mouth for any object that can be reached with a finger and remove it if possible. Perform the maneuver 3 times, then call for emergency help.

WHAT IF THE PERSON BECOMES UNCONSCIOUS?
Open the airway by tilting the head, checking the mouth, and lifting the chin. If the victim is breathing, falling unconscious might have freed the object sufficiently to allow air through. Turn the person into the recovery position maintaining  a careful check on breathing. If the victim is not breathing , provide rescue breathing and move on to the normal CPR procedures.

If you know that the person has choked and the chest does not rise when rescue breathing is attempted, move straight to the chest compressions without assessment of circulation. Check the mouth after every set of compressions. The chest compressions act as an artificial cough and may help expel the object from the windpipe. Make sure that you call for emergency help as soon as possible.

CHOCKING IN CHILDREN
Children often put small objects into their mouths which may cause choking. This is an obstruction in the windpipe that makes it difficult or impossible to breath as air cannot pass into the lungs. A child who is choking will often do  so quietly, initially turning red as he or she struggles to take air in, grasping at the neck and mouth and eventually losing color, with a blue tinge to the lips. Without treatment, a child will become unconscious and may die.

CHOKING IN CHILDREN. Choking is a major cause of death in young children and should be considered whenever the child has breathing difficulties. Look for small beads or coins that the child may have been playing with, or ask playmates to identify clues that choking may be the cause on unconsciousness in the child.

TREATMENT. Check a child's mouth for obstruction but don not feel blindly in the mouth as you may push the object further into the windpipe. Look to see if there is anything that can be easily removed. If the child is breathing, encourage her to continue coughing because this may dislodge the obstruction. If the child shows signs of becoming weak or stop breathing or coughing, perform the Heimlich Maneuver.

THE HEIMLICH MANEUVER
This maneuver works by producing an artificial cough that dislodges the object blocking the windpipe. Stand or kneel behind the child. Put your arms around her waist. Make a fist with one hand and place it, thumb side in, between the belly bottom of the breastbone. Grasp the fist with other hand. Keep your arms away from the child's ribcage and give 4 sharp inward and upward thrusts. The aim is to relieve the obstruction with each thrust. It may be necessary to repeat this maneuver before the object is coughed up. If the obstruction is still not relieved, recheck the mouth for any object that can be reached with a finger and remove it if possible. Perform the maneuver 3 times before calling for emergency help.

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Frederick Luneta is a 24-year old guy and he is a Computer Engineering student and a young part time blogger. Currently lives in the Philippines. He knows a lot about computer.