Hot Dogs and Choking—Keep This Fourth of July Safe “If you were to design the perfect plug for a child’s airway, you couldn’t do much better than a hot dog…It will wedge itself in tightly and completely block the airway, causing the child to die within minutes because of lack of oxygen.” And it’s not just children. Only last month, a young woman died after choking on a hot dog at a Cubs game in Chicago. Choking can occur when a solid foreign object, such as a piece of food, or small object, enters a narrowed part of the airway and becomes stuck. On inhalation, the object can be drawn tighter into the airway and block air from entering the lungs. Your help is required to save the person’s life. A provider must be able to recognize the difference between a mild blockage and a severe blockage. With a mild blockage, a person can speak, cough, or gag. This type of blockage is typically cleared by coughing. Encourage someone with a mild blockage to cough forcibly. Stay close and be ready to take action if things worsen. When a severe blockage occurs, a person cannot dislodge the object on his own. Signs of severe obstruction include very little or no air exchange, lack of sound, the inability to speak or cough forcefully, and the person may hold his hands to his throat as he attempts to clear the obstruction. The first aid response for a choking victim is the classic abdominal thrust. This easy-to-learn technique can make all the difference: Learn the abdominal thrust @ TSS, Inc. in our CPR/FA training. Sign up for a class today.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 14:00:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015