What to do if you choke a lot. What to do if food gets into the windpipe

There are all sorts of cases ... Take, for example, the situation when a person chokes and can neither inhale nor exhale. What to do? “The main thing is not to get confused, not to panic and not to miss precious minutes, which may possibly cost the victim health, and sometimes life,” says the doctor, candidate medical sciences Sergey Abdusalamov.

sudden suffocation, or asphyxia(from the Greek asphyxia, literally - the absence of a pulse) occurs when Airways blocked by small objects that accidentally got there. At the same time, it develops oxygen starvation, and an excess of carbon dioxide accumulates in the blood and tissues.

As a result, if not taken emergency measures, a person loses consciousness with a rapidly weakening pulse. After all, as you know, without access to the body of air in the brain cells, three minutes later, irreversible changes, and in a minute death comes.

Usually, if a person chokes, others - because of elementary ignorance, but in a sincere desire to help - slap the victim on the back. Actually it's deadly: such actions only promote foreign body further into the trachea.

What to do if you choke? Cough! This is a natural attempt by the body to remove a foreign object from the respiratory tract. The man who choked food or some object and at the same time can breathe and cough heavily, do not interfere.

If after two or three minutes asphyxiation does not go away (especially in a child), you need to urgently call an ambulance. And before her arrival, the only life-saving remedy is the famous Heimlich maneuver, named after its inventor, the president of the Institute in Cincinnati, M.D. Henry Heimlich. With three minutes left and not a second of delay, it can be used to save a person from suffocation.

Of course, you first need to learn to distinguish all the signs of this emergency, master the technique on yourself, then on family members, in order to be fully armed at the right moment. Consider what requires instant and error-free action!

Heimlich maneuver. Stand behind the victim (if he is still on his feet and has not lost consciousness), wrap your arms around him. Clench one hand into a fist and the side where thumb, put on the stomach of the victim below chest but above the navel. The palm of the other hand is placed on top of the fist, with a quick upward push, the fist is pressed into the stomach. In this case, the arms should be sharply bent at the elbows (but do not squeeze the chest from the sides).

If necessary, repeat the reception several times until the airways are free (this is indicated coughing, restoration of breathing and normal complexion, expulsion of a foreign body) or the person will not lose consciousness.

In case of asphyxia in a woman on the late term pregnancy, the fist should be pressed higher - not on the stomach, but on the middle of the sternum, being careful. To increase the lifetime of the cerebral cortex in case of a violation of vital activity, in the very first moments after losing consciousness, cover the head of the victim with something cold (bottles with cold water, ice from the refrigerator, a bag of frozen vegetables, etc.).

It may happen that with asphyxia there is no one near the adult, except for the child. Taught in advance Heimlich maneuver, he might be able to help. If the person is lying on his back, the little rescuer should mount him and use his own weight to give the necessary push. The head of the victim should not be turned to the side: in this case, it is difficult to remove a foreign body from the respiratory canal. Practice this technique with your baby (in a playful way).

Apply the Heimlich method you can also in relation to yourself, if no one is nearby. To do this, you need to put your hands on your stomach as if someone else is helping (the fist is located below the chest and above the navel) and make a quick push in and up. If necessary, repeat several times. You can use the edge of the table, and the back of the chair, the railing: press the right place on the abdomen on the support.

Still, it is not for nothing that it is said that the best treatment is prevention. Some safety and etiquette rules that our parents taught us - excellent remedy against suffocation. For example, do not talk with a full mouth, chew food thoroughly, do not put large pieces in your mouth. In a word, it is important to learn the rule: when I eat, I am deaf and dumb.

Lokatskaya Liliana

Anyone can choke on food. Well, if everything ends well, when there is a person nearby who knows what to do in such a case. Such a seemingly harmless phenomenon can actually cause unpredictable consequences, in particular asphyxia.

If in front of your eyes someone - a child, a colleague or a bystander, collided with similar problem need to start acting without delay. About how to act, as well as what to do and talk today.

To understand how to act when a person chokes, you need to know the essence of this process. This phenomenon characterized by the ingress of a solid, mushy or liquid foreign body into the respiratory tract, as well as the subsequent complete or partial closure of their lumen.

The occlusion of the lumen is accompanied by a violation normal process respiration, since air cannot fully or at least partially enter through the blocked lumen of the trachea or bronchi. As a result, the development of oxygen starvation is noted.

If a person chokes in your presence, you need to help him. It consists in extracting a foreign object from the respiratory lumen. The age of the victim, the degree of blockage of the DP, the condition of the person - the sequence of events depends on all this. The main role is given to the degree of blockage, which can be complete or partial.

Algorithm of actions for partial blockage of the upper respiratory tract

The first thing to do is to try to calm the victim, cheer him up, explain that you will help him. Further actions should be next.

Ask the choking person to make four or five sharp, deep exhalations, while leaning forward and slowly inhaling the air.
It is impossible to allow the victim to breathe deeply, this is fraught with slipping of a foreign body even deeper, from where to get it without medical care will be impossible.
If a sharp exhalation did not bring results, the foreign body is still inside, ask the choking person to cough, only intensively, four to five times, while tilting the torso forward.
Cough should not be accompanied deep breaths. Deep breathing is fraught with pushing a foreign particle or food into the deeper, shallow bronchi. In addition, the released particles during coughing and intense inhalations can get back into the respiratory tract.
Prompt extraction of a foreign body will contribute to next measure. Ask the person to lean back while coughing while exhaling. top belly on the back of a chair or sofa, while hanging his head with his chest down.
If all actions were ineffective, then do the following. Ask the victim to lean forward, grab his stomach with your hand. The head should be as low as possible. Tap with an open palm on the area of \u200b\u200bthe back between the shoulder blades.
It is necessary not only to tap with the palm of your hand, but also to make a directed movement from the shoulder blades to the neck.
If tapping does not bring results, proceed to the use of the Heimlich maneuver. Previously, it is not recommended to use it, as it is associated with the risk of complications.
Stand behind the choked one, squeeze one hand (right if you are left-handed, left if you are right-handed) into a fist, then hugging the choked one, put your fist to your stomach. With the palm of the second hand, grasp the fist of the working hand. Clinging tightly to the person's back, sit down and make a sharp push with your fist in the stomach and up to the chest.
Perform a push by bending your arms in elbow joints, pressing the stomach to the diaphragm, the spinal column.
During the push, do not squeeze the chest from the sides. Several of these pushes should help in normalizing breathing.

The Heimlich maneuver is the most effective way to extract foreign particles

If this method is used to clear the airways of a woman in position or an obese person, then the fist should not be applied to the stomach, but to the middle part of the sternum. Pushes should be carried out in the same way as with the position of the hands on the stomach.

If the victim is much larger and fuller than you, you can perform the reception lying down. Ask him to lie down on a hard, flat surface. Tilt his head back (no need to turn to the side). Sit on his stomach, then do a couple of thrusts in the stomach (towards the spinal column, up).

This method is quite dangerous, as sharp shocks to the abdomen can cause damage. internal organs. Therefore, if an ambulance was provided to the victim in this way, then it should be without fail show the doctor.

Emergency care for complete occlusion of the upper respiratory tract

Complete obstruction of the respiratory lumen is fraught with critical consequences. You have no more than five minutes to help. During this time, the brain can still "live" without oxygen. In such a situation, the choking person convulsively opens his mouth, coughs, grabs his neck, tries to swallow air. But all these actions do not bring effect. After 30-120 seconds, blue lips are noted, blanching skin as well as loss of consciousness.

It is necessary to act very quickly, and at the moment when a person is conscious.

Approach the victim, lift them by the legs, and then make sure that his head and torso are tilted as far down as possible. To do this, rest it with your stomach on your knee, the back of a sofa, a chair.
Tap your palm between your shoulder blades. If the victim begins to cough, leave him in this position for a couple of minutes. So he coughs up all the particles.
If this measure was ineffective, proceed to the implementation of the Heimlich maneuver. Do not forget that the choking person is very weak, it is difficult for him to stand on his feet. Place one foot between his feet, then press firmly against his back. Wrap your arms around your torso, let your upper body hang slightly forward.
Do pushes.
If the choking person loses consciousness, and it is difficult for you to hold him, lay him on the floor, on his back, and then tilt his head back. Do not put rollers under the shoulder blades or back, this will only aggravate the situation.
Sit on the legs of a choking person, rest your palms on your stomach (slightly above the navel), and then make jerky movements.
Keep pushing until the victim starts coughing.

Artificial respiration is done until the cough starts, there is no flush. As long as the lumen is blocked, air cannot enter the lungs. Helpful information in the article "".

Self Help Technique

If you are faced with a similar problem, and there is no one at home, at work or near, do not panic, but start acting.

Lean forward and take four to five quick, deep breaths.
Never take deep breaths.
Next, cough. It is necessary, while in an inclined position, to carry out several short coughing movements.
To be more comfortable, lean against the back of a chair or sofa.
If these steps do not help, proceed with the Heimlich maneuver. Place your fist in the middle of your abdomen, grab it with the palm of your other hand, and then make a sharp push.
If your strength is not enough, lean your fist on a solid object, then sharply, with your whole body, press on your fist. Continue until particles are coughed up.

What to do if a child chokes

If the child is already walking independently, then the technique of providing assistance will be the same as for an adult. The only difference is that it is difficult for a baby to explain, especially in such a situation that you cannot breathe deeply. Therefore, you need to act very quickly.

Throw the child over the arm, knee, back of the sofa.
Pat a few times on the back. Remember that the claps should be directed towards the neck.
If the child begins to cough, ask him not to get up. Let it stay like this for a little while longer.
If patting does not help to remove foreign particles, lift it up by its feet. You can even shake a couple of times, but no more than five. Put on the floor.
In the event that all Taken measures proved to be ineffective, proceed to a simplified variation of the Heimlich method.
Sit on your knees, put the child with his back to you.
Next, you should press it tightly to yourself.
Grasping the torso with your hands, and also asking the baby to lean forward, gently but sharply press on his stomach. Keep pushing until the child has a cough.
In a situation where the baby begins to lose consciousness, cannot stand on his feet, you need to do this. Lay it on the floor, tilt your head back. Put your hand on your chest and make jerky movements. Breathe air into his mouth every 30 seconds. Push until you cough.

Newborn emergency care

If a very tiny baby chokes, the help will be very different from that provided to children. older than a year and adults. Newborn babies have very weak muscles and cannot sit or stand. With blockage of the respiratory lumen, completely small child you can not ask to cough or inhale. The technique of assistance will be the same regardless of the degree of obstruction of the DP.

You can not use the technique when the baby is turned upside down, and then shaken. Newborns, due to muscle weakness, cannot hold their head stably. Shaking the baby in a head down position is fraught with injury cervical spinal column.

To help the baby, you should use this technique.

On the non-working arm bent at the elbow, it is necessary to lay the baby with his back.
The working hand is placed on the stomach (the fingers should wrap around the lower jaw).
Next, you need to turn your hands. The child's pose is with the stomach on the forearm, the legs are hung on the sides of the arm, while the head lies on the arm.
The hand needs to be lowered a little down so that it is lower than the priests. The body should take an inclined position.
With the palm of the second hand, perform four or five claps on the back (between the shoulder blades, towards the neck).
When the child begins to cough, stop manipulation.
After opening the baby's mouth, remove foreign particles.
If the baby has not started coughing after claps, lay him on the forearm of your hand, keep his head thrown back.
Next, you should slightly tilt your hand down (given an inclined position).

With the fingers of your free hand, you need to press a couple of times on the sternum (the line between the nipples). The fingers should be extended. Moreover, only the strength of the hand, but not the body, should be used.
Ideally, when pressing, the chest should be pressed through a couple of centimeters.
Perform thrusts until the airway is free, coughing, screaming or crying baby.

If you lose consciousness, begin resuscitation. After inhaling the baby into the mouth of the air, perform 30 chest compressions. Then, opening the mouth of a small patient, check if the stuck object has come out. If yes, remove it. If not, continue with resuscitation.

Anyone can face this situation. The main thing here is not to delay in providing assistance. Remember, the condition and even the life of the victim depends on your reaction, speed of response, and also the correctness of actions.

Before taking any action, make sure that the choking person has a partial or complete airway obstruction. If the victim is able to answer your questions with his voice, if he can cough, then his obstruction is partial.

In this case, just be close to the choking person, encourage him to cough. In this case, it is not necessary to hit the victim on the back. In such cases, coughing is the most effective remedy.

2nd step

If a choking person cannot speak and cough, it means that things are bad. We need to act!

Stand to the side and slightly behind the casualty. Support his chest with one hand and tilt him forward just enough. This position will help the foreign body, if it moves, to get out, and not fall back into the airways.
Make 5 sharp blows between the shoulder blades of the victim. Do this with the base of the palm of your free hand.

3rd step

If the previous technique did not help, use another one - thrusts in the stomach.

Crouching slightly, stand behind the victim, clasping upper part his abdomen with both hands.
Tilt the choking person slightly forward.
Clench your hand into a fist and place it on the victim's upper abdomen (two fingers above his navel).
Hold the top of your fist with your other hand. Make a sharp push, directed inward and upward. Repeat this pressing action no more than five times. If your actions did not work, call an ambulance.

Important

Stomach kicks - unsafe method. It can cause serious internal damage therefore, the victims to whom this technique was applied must be examined by a doctor. Moreover, after extracting foreign object particles may remain in the airways. If the casualty continues to cough, has difficulty swallowing, or feels something is still in their throat, seek medical attention.

How to help the fainted?

The main thing is not to get lost and not to panic.

First of all, lay the person on his back - this is necessary to restore cerebral blood flow. Do not put anything under your head - it should be on the same level with the body.
Provide full access to air - often this alone leads to the cessation of fainting: unbutton the collar, ask others to part.
Sprinkle cold water on your face or bring a cotton swab moistened with ammonia to your nose. Ammonia solution stimulates the respiratory center - a person takes a reflex breath and a large portion of oxygen enters the body.
Pat your cheeks - a painful stimulus contributes quick recovery consciousness.

How to protect yourself?

Try to avoid situations that provoke fainting: do not stand for a long time or get up abruptly.
Isometric exercises are useful, which include a carpal expander, which trains the reflex to maintain optimal blood pressure in the body.
Increase fluid intake and do not limit salt intake (unless there are contraindications). This gives an increase in the volume of circulating blood.
If you feel fainting in transport, cross your legs and sharply rhythmically tighten the muscles of the abs and thighs several times. This will help increase blood flow from lower extremities to the head.
If you feel like you're fainting outside, sit down on one knee like you're tying your shoelace, or put one foot on a raised platform to protect yourself in the event of a fall.

On a note

Benign syncope is caused by a sudden cessation of oxygen supply to the brain.

Such situations often arise during a long stay in stuffy room, with a sharp rise from a chair, bed, etc. The cause of loss of consciousness may also be irritation of specific reflex zones in the presence of tight collars, a sharp turn of the neck.

At the same time, fainting is purely reflex, regulatory in nature and is associated with a violation of the reflex, designed to maintain normal blood pressure and blood flow to the brain.

In response to the subsequent oxygen starvation, our brain switches to a maintenance mode, since in conditions of fainting it is easier for it to endure oxygen starvation.

Remember, self-medication is life-threatening, for advice on the use of any medicines see a doctor.

The help that most of us can give to a choking person is limited to a pat on the back. However, doctors warn: such actions may not help, but harm. Then what to do if one of the nearby people choked? We will tell you what first aid should be for suffocation.

Man choked: anatomical reference

To understand what to do if you choke, you first need to get an idea about the process of strangulation itself. Air and food, before entering the lungs and stomach, up to a certain point pass through one channel - the throat. In its back part, their path diverges: food goes through the esophagus to the stomach, and air goes through the trachea to the lungs.

Why doesn't food get into the windpipe? Wise nature foresaw this possibility and created the epiglottis - an elastic cartilage that reflexively closes at the moment of swallowing effort. It blocks the access of food and drinks to the trachea.

However, laughter and conversations during meals do not allow the epiglottis to work in time, and it leaves the passage to the airways open. As a result, food gets there with the next breath. With small fragments of the food eaten, which do not completely block the air passage, the body gets rid of itself, with the help of a cough.

But sometimes large enough pieces of food get into the trachea, which block the path of air. A person begins to suffocate, which doctors call asphyxia. If he is not helped in time to get rid of a foreign body in the windpipe, a lack of oxygen can lead to fainting, irreversible changes in the brain and death.

Therefore, it is so important to know what to do if a person chokes, and to be able to provide first aid for suffocation.

What to do if an adult chokes?

First, make sure that the cause of suffocation is precisely in food stuck in the throat, and not in Quincke's edema and an asthma attack. In case when food stuck in throat, you have two options:

not complete, but partial overlap of the trachea allows the body itself to get rid of food that has fallen into the “wrong throat” with the help of coughing. In other words, the presence of a cough and breath in the victim confirms that the windpipe is not completely blocked, and food particles will come out on their own during coughing.

It is not necessary at this time to try to slap a person on the back. Thus, you can harm by directing foreign body not up to oral cavity and down to the lungs. It is better to advise the choking person to bend over, not to do sharp breaths, but try to exhale air sharply, then food with more likely will return to the mouth;

in the event of a complete blockage of the trachea, help the victim avoid asphyxia by applying a technique called the five by five by the Red Cross staff.

What is it?

Having tilted the victim forward, five blows are applied to the back with the base of the palm in the area between the shoulder blades. For convenience, an armchair, a sofa, a bed, and even a side of the bathroom can be used as a support. It is important to set the correct direction of impact - from the shoulder blades to the neck, pushing the food to the larynx.
Then 5 pressures are performed in the area of the diaphragm - the Heimlich maneuver, which we will describe below.
Again, claps are made on the back, which alternate with subdiaphragmatic thrusts until the food leaves the windpipe.
The cessation of breathing due to asphyxia leaves you only 4-5 minutes to conduct resuscitation. Longer oxygen starvation will adversely affect the brain, causing irreversible changes and death. First aid for respiratory arrest artificial ventilation lungs "mouth to mouth".
Call " ambulance". The doctor must determine whether the victim's health has been significantly harmed, and, if necessary, will hospitalize.

Heimlich maneuver

The provision of first aid to a choking person using the Heimlich maneuver is carried out in cases of complete obstruction (blockage) of the respiratory tract. In other cases first aid for choking is to carry out the actions described by us in paragraph 1.

Algorithm of actions according to the Heimlich method:

stand behind the victim and tilt his body slightly forward;

hugging the victim from behind, clench your left hand into a fist and press it in the stomach area (between the navel and the solar plexus);

with the right hand, firmly press the fist of the left to the body of the victim;

crouching slightly, sharply pressing both hands, press your fist into the diaphragm area, as if trying to lift the victim. Try not to squeeze the chest on the sides;

make several such pressures with minimal interruptions until the foreign object leaves the trachea.

What to do if an obese person or a pregnant woman chokes? The procedure will be the same, only the hands should not be pressed to the stomach, but higher, to the sternum.

When you yourself are the victim, and there is no one nearby who can help you, we advise you to do the following:

place your hands in the position described above - the left fist is pressed in the area of \u200b\u200bthe stomach, right palm is on top;

sharply pressing with your hands, lean forward, as if leaning on your fist. As a support for the fist, use the armrest of the chair, a chair, a bath.

What to do if a person who has lost consciousness is choking? In this case, the first first aid will look like this:

the victim should be placed on a horizontal surface face up, head tilted back;

sit on his feet and place his hands above the navel, putting one on top of the other;

by sharp pressure on the diaphragm, achieve its contraction and expulsion of the foreign body located there from the windpipe.

The child choked: the procedure for providing first aid

What to do if a child chokes on a candy, apple or water? Toddlers who already know how to walk, the procedure for providing assistance is similar to that used for adults. And how to help a choking newborn baby? In such cases, the actions should be as follows:

put the baby back on the left hand, head on the palm;

cover the baby with your right hand so that you can hold his jaw with your fingers, and turn the baby over, leaving it lying tummy down on your right forearm. The baby's legs should hang freely on the sides of your hand;

tilt your hand with the child down so that his head is below the buttocks;

With your left hand, beat the child’s back 4-5 times with the palm of your hand - the hand should move from the shoulder blades to the neck. Remains of food should come out of the trachea.

What to do if a child chokes And the above actions did not bring results? Then put the baby back on your left forearm and, holding his head, slightly lower down. fingers right hand do a few pressures on the sternum between the nipples. Repeat this technique until the foreign body leaves the respiratory tract.

Do not try to turn the child over, holding the legs, and shake in the upside down position. In babies who have recently been born, the neck muscles have not yet grown stronger and are not able to absorb normally. Therefore, such a shake can damage the vertebrae and make the child disabled.

And here are the basics of first aid with a visual demonstration from Dr. Komarovsky:

We told how first aid is provided for suffocation. Anyone who was attentive and remembered the procedure will now be able to help a person in trouble.

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Not everyone knows how to react correctly if a person sitting next to him suddenly chokes and begins to choke. And how to behave if this happened to you and there is no one nearby to help?

website prepared for you a detailed guide that will help you not to get confused, act competently and save the life of a person who chokes.

If you choke, you need to cough

Correctly. Cough is the most effective method open the airways and push a piece of food out of the trachea. The best thing you can do in such a situation is to try to calm the person: "It's okay, cough."

Not right. Some people in this situation try to suppress their cough by straightening their back and trying to breathe through their nose. It won't lead to anything good. Also, you can not drink water during an attack. Give the victim a glass of water after he has coughed.

If coughing is not possible, tap on the back

Correctly. When a person cannot cough, the first thing to do is to tilt him forward down (you can over the knee or the back of the chair) and pat hard with an open palm between the shoulder blades (toward the mouth). It is important to do exactly the guiding movements, and not the usual claps.

Not right. You can’t clap in a straightened position, let alone beat with your fist, otherwise the piece of food will fall further and tightly block the airways. If the cough comes back, stop clapping.

If the person cannot breathe, use the Heimlich maneuver

When performing the Heimlich maneuver, air is released from the lungs, which is not used during breathing, which helps to push out the stuck object.

Correctly. Stand behind the victim and wrap your arms around him. Make a fist with one hand and place it on your stomach between your navel and lower ribs. The palm of the second hand is on top. Pull your fist upwards (under the diaphragm) with a quick push several times. Repeat several times until the airways are clear.

Not right. Do not pat the victim on the back - this can only worsen the situation. You need to clasp below the ribs, and not along them, otherwise you risk breaking them. If the choking person is larger than you or is a pregnant woman, grab it over the stomach, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe lower ribs.

The choked lost consciousness

Correctly. If the person is unconscious, lay them on their back. Sit on top of the victim's thighs facing the head. With one hand on top of the other, place the base of your palm between your navel and lower ribs. Press vigorously on the abdomen in an upward direction towards the diaphragm. Repeat several times until the airways are clear. After removing the object, if the person is not breathing, .

Not right. The victim must not be held vertical position. And even more so to do it artificial respiration until the object is removed from the trachea.

If there is no one to help (self-help)

If you yourself choked and began to choke, apply the Heimlich method yourself.

Correctly. Lean on a solid object (table corner, chair, railing) and push upwards with your body weight.

Not right. It's difficult, but try not to panic. The more we panic, the more air we take in. This pushes the piece of food further. Don't straighten up or hit yourself on your chest or back.

How to act in other situations

The victim is bigger than you. It happens that the choking one is many times larger than you, or it is a pregnant woman. In this case, when performing the Heimlich maneuver, you need to wrap around the lower ribs, as close to the stomach as possible.

The baby choked. on your hand and the edge of the palm, make 5 pats between the children's shoulder blades. If a solid foreign object is stuck, we put the child on the arm face down. The head should be lower than the chest. With your free hand, clap the child between the shoulder blades.

A child older than a year choked.(if his height is small, we kneel). We wrap our arms around the waist. We squeeze the brush of one hand into a fist and place it between the ribs and the navel thumb inside. Grab a fist with the other hand. We spread our elbows to the sides and press on the child's stomach in the direction from the bottom up.