Toys, household items and foods can all be a choking hazard. The most common cause of nonfatal choking in young children is food. At least one child dies from choking on food every five days in the U.S., and more than 12,000 children are taken to a hospital emergency room each year for food-choking injuries.

Things to remember Don’t slap a choking person on the back while they are upright – gravity may cause the object to slip further down the trachea (windpipe). First aid for choking adults includes back blows and chest thrusts while the person is leaning forward.

There are three basic C’s to remember—check, call, and care. When it comes to first aid, there are three P’s to remember—preserve life, prevent deterioration, and promote recovery.

Top 9 Choking Foods

• Hot Dogs.
• Carrots.
• Apples.
• Grapes.
• Nuts.
• Peanut Butter.
• Marshmallows.
• Gum and Hard Candy.

First, if you’re alone and choking, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. Then, although you’ll be unable to effectively deliver back blows to yourself, you can still perform abdominal thrusts to dislodge the item. Place a fist slightly above your navel.

Clutching the throat – This is the universal sign for choking, and it means this person needs immediate help. Blue lips, face, or fingertips – Turning blue indicates a lack of oxygen. Putting fingers down their throat – This is another sure sign of choking. The affected person is attempting to vomit.

Strangulation is when pressure is applied from the outside, cutting off blood vessels and/or airflow in the neck, preventing oxygen from reaching the brain. This pressure can cause loss of consciousness in 5 to 10 seconds, and it can cause death in a few minutes.

Symptoms of acute airway obstruction include: Agitation or panic. Cyanosis (bluish-colored skin) Confusion. Difficulty breathing.

What causes an airway obstruction?

• swelling of the tongue or epiglottis.
• abscesses in the throat or tonsils.
• collapse of the tracheal wall (tracheomalacia)
• asthma.
• chronic bronchitis.
• emphysema.
• cystic fibrosis.
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

The tongue is the most common cause of upper airway obstruction, a situation seen most often in patients who are comatose or who have suffered cardiopulmonary arrest. Other common causes of upper airway obstruction include edema of the oropharynx and larynx, trauma, foreign body, and infection.

Total airway obstruction

1. If patient is conscious, give up to 5 back blows. With an adult or child, standing or sitting (and leaning forward), and using the heel of one hand, give the back blows between the patient’s shoulder blades.
2. If unsuccessful, give up to 5 chest thrusts.
3. If the obstruction has not been relieved.

Ways to clear the lungs

1. Steam therapy. Steam therapy, or steam inhalation, involves inhaling water vapor to open the airways and help the lungs drain mucus.
2. Controlled coughing.
3. Drain mucus from the lungs.
4. Exercise.
5. Green tea.
6. Anti-inflammatory foods.
7. Chest percussion.

Some treatment options can provide immediate relief but are considered temporary solutions, while others can provide a better long-term solution. Short-term treatment options for the condition include laser surgery and widening the trachea. Laser surgery can remove scar tissue that is causing tracheal stenosis.

Partial airway obstruction: breathing laboured, gasping or noisy. some air escaping from the mouth. patient coughing or making a ‘crowing’ noise.