CONSCIOUS CHOKING / OBSTRUCTED AIRWAY

• Survey the scene, check for safety Basic precautions for preventing disease transmission.
• Identify self-Ask if they are choking & ask if you can help
  • If victim is coughing forcefully- encourage them to continue
  • If victim can not cough, speak, or breath- Call EMS
• ADULT: Stand behind victim- Give 5 Back Blows with the heal of your hand between the shoulder blades.
  • 5 Abdominal Thrusts – one foot between legs, reach around victim, place the thumb side of fist against the middle of victim’s abdomen, just above the navel. Grab your fist with other hand. Give quick upward thrusts.
• CHILD: Same as adult-Use less force, may need to stand or kneel.
• INFANT: Position infant face-down along your forearm, support the head, lower infant onto your thigh, keeping the head lower then the chest. Give 5 Back Blows. Position infant face-up- -place 2 or 3 fingers on the center of the chest, below the nipple line- Give 5 Chest Thrusts - ½ to 1 inch.
• CONTINUE UNTIL: Object is forced out, victim begins to breathe or cough forcefully on his or her own OR victim becomes unconscious

UNCONSCIOUS CHOKING / OBSTRUCTED AIRWAY

• Perform Initial Assessment.
• ADULT/CHILD:
  • Rescue breaths do not make the chest clearly rise, reposition the head, give 2 more Rescue Breaths–
    • If Rescue Breaths still do not go in Give 5 Chest Thrusts
    • Place 1 hand on the center of the chest. Place the other hand on top of the first hand, compress 5 times.
      • ADULT-Compress 1 ½ to 2 inches
      • CHILD-Compress 1 to 1 ½ inches.
  • Look in mouth for foreign object. If you see the object:
    • ADULT-use index finger
    • CHILD-use pinkie finger
  • Give 2 more Rescue Breaths.
• INFANT:
  • Rescue breaths do not make the chest clearly rise, reposition the head, give 2 more Rescue Breaths
  • If Rescue Breaths still do not go in
    • Give 5 Chest Thrusts
      • Place 2 or 3 fingers on the center of the chest, below the nipple line- Give 5 Chest Thrusts-½ to 1 inch.
        • Look in mouth for foreign object. If you see the object, use pinky finger to sweep out. 
• • Rescue Breaths do not clearly make the chest rise –repeat process
  • Rescue Breaths do clearly make the chest rise – check for breathing and circulation-no longer than 10 seconds
  • Movement, breathing, and a pulse-place in recovery or modified-H.A.IN.E.S if spinal injury is suspected.
• Pulse-No breathing or movement-Perform Rescue Breathing
• No movement, breathing, or pulse-Perform CPR