Articles
Foreign object inhaled: First aid
To perform abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich maneuver) on someone else
To perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself
Content
When to seek emergency help
Treatment
Child and adult
If the person who has inhaled an object isn't conscious:
To give abdominal thrusts to someone else:
Pregnant person or someone you can't get your arms around
Yourself
If you're alone and choking:
To perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself
Content
When to seek emergency help
Treatment
Child and adult
If the person who has inhaled an object isn't conscious:
To give abdominal thrusts to someone else:
Pregnant person or someone you can't get your arms around
Yourself
If you're alone and choking:
Child and adult
If a choking person can cough with force, let the person keep coughing.
Coughing might remove the stuck object.
If a person can't cough, talk, cry or laugh with force, give first aid to the person.
The American Red Cross recommends the following steps:
- Give five back blows. Stand to the side and just behind a choking adult. For a child, kneel behind. Place your arm across the person's chest to support the person's body. Bend the person over at the waist to face the ground. Strike five times between the person's shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
- Give five abdominal thrusts. If back blows don't remove the stuck object, give five abdominal thrusts.
- Keep giving five blows, then five thrusts until the object moves.
If you're the only rescuer for someone who's choking, give back blows and abdominal thrusts first. Then, call 911 or your local emergency number for help. If another person is there, have that person call for help while you give first aid.
