How do you help someone who is choking?

Choking Adult- First Aid Treatment

What to do

Ask "Are you choking?" If a person is unable to breath or speak, treat the patient as below, if they can talk or cough allow them to continue until they clear the obstruction or you feel you need to call the EMS.

• Activate EMS
• For Adult and Child (NOT INFANTS)- Stand behind the victim with one foot in-between the victims feet and your other foot behind you.
• Perform 5 back slaps between the patients shoulder blades.
Place the flat side of your fist just above the patients belly button. Grab the back of your fist with the other hand. and pull inwards and upwards.
• Continue back slaps and abdominal thrusts until the object is cleared or the patient becomes unconscious, when you would perform CPR.
• Advise the patient to seek medical help afterwards, even if the object has been successfully cleared or the patient becomes unconscious.
  
  
  Special Circumstances
  
  If the patient is pregnant or too large to reach around. place your fist in the middle of the chest to perform chest thrusts.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FIRST AID - CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ONLINE COURSES   IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND A CLASSROOM COURSE CLICK HERE TO SEARCH FOR AN INSTRUCTOR IN YOUR AREA