Safety At Home

Choking Adult / Child (over 1 year)

Signs & symptoms

• clutching the throat
• coughing, wheezing, gagging
• difficulty breathing, speaking, swallowing
• making a whistling or ‘crowing’ noise or no sound at all
• face, neck lips, ears, fingernails turning blue.

What to do

1. Encourage the adult or child to cough to remove the object.

2. Call triple zero (000) if coughing does not remove the blockage, or if patient is an infant.

3. Bend the patient well forward and give up to 5 back blows with the heel of one hand between the shoulder blades, checking if the object is relieved after each back blow.

4. If unsuccessful, give up to 5 chest thrusts by placing one hand in the middle of patient’s back for support and heel of other hand in the CPR compression position, checking if the object is relieved after each chest thrust.

5. If blockage does not clear continue alternating 5 back blows with 5 chest thrusts until medical aid arrives. If the patient becomes unconscious:
1. Call triple zero (000) for an ambulance.
2. Remove any visible obstructions from the mouth.
3. Commence CPR.

Source