What to do if a child is choking on food: First aid that saves lives

Every year many children, as well as adults, die from obstruction of the respiratory tract after inhaling a foreign body.

But in some cases, he may need help from someone who knows how to handle the situation or from the coolest person in the group. Then we will give some basic useful knowledge and a video of the Greek Rescue Team. We hope this knowledge is unnecessary. But if they are ever needed, they can be life-saving for a loved one.

Children younger than 4 years of age are more likely to drown, while in infants younger than that age, drowning is the most common cause of accidental death. At these ages we need to be careful, because prevention is the best treatment.

Babies very quickly, especially after 5 months when they are able to grasp things by themselves, learn to put various objects in their mouths. So they can easily choke on small objects such as buttons, coins, bottle caps, egg shells, small toys, etc.

Do not give nuts, chewing gum, candies or grapes to small children. It is a very common cause of drowning. The child plays or even runs while eating, as he does not have the neurological maturity and awareness of danger, he easily "swallows". You should never leave a baby alone when he is eating or even drinking from a bottle, because he can easily choke.

Beware of worn pacifiers Do not neglect to replace them often. A piece can easily detach from a worn pacifier and choke the child.

If, however, such an incident occurs and you need to give first aid to a person who has "stuck" something in their throat, it is useful to follow some simple steps that may successfully deal with it.

First of all, you don't have to πανικός: A few quick moves can be life saving.

• Tell the person who has choked on food to cough repeatedly until the foreign body comes out.
• If that doesn't work and the person is having trouble breathing, put one hand on their chest and lean them forward. With the palm of your other hand give him 5 strokes in the center of his back.
• If the blows fail but he is still breathing, then stand behind him and put your arms around his waist and lean him as far forward as possible. Make a fist with one hand and put it at the level of the stomach and hug your fist with the other hand. Press firmly inward and upward. Repeat the movement several times until the foreign body comes out.
• If the person loses consciousness, they will need "artificial respiration". If after a few breaths the chest does not rise, the obstruction persists and you must repeat the above manipulations from the beginning.

Finally, if all this does not work and the person is breathing, even with difficulty, take him immediately to the nearest Hospital.

1) We don't hit the child on the back when he coughs and breathes, we can push the foreign body lower, or worse, stop him coughing which is the most effective way to get the foreign body out.

2) If he can't breathe, open the mouth by pulling on the child's jaw and look for a foreign body back in his throat that can be pulled out with your fingers. Never try to remove a foreign body from the throat if you cannot see what you are doing. There is a risk of pushing the object down the throat and making things worse.

via: Enimerotiko