For ” choking ” means the interruption of breathing. The breath, and specifically, the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide they need all tissues, organs and systems of our body. It is essential for our survival. Know how to act in these situations is a duty for each of us, because only applying simple and rapid maneuvers, we could save the life of a person.
Suffocation may be partial or complete. In the case of partial suffocation, it retains a minimal respiratory activity and the subject coughs violently emitting hisses and when they complete the suffocation, unfortunately, the respiratory activity is totally absent and there is the blueness of the lips of the subject and nails (cyanosis).
The first thing to do, even if it seems obvious to most people, is not to panic, to maintain clarity and alertness. Timeliness is crucial if we consider that a person in a state of suffocation dies after 3-4 minutes.
The first thing to do, even if It Seems obvious to most people, is not to panic, to maintain clarity and alertness. Timeliness is crucial if we consider that a person in a state of suffocation dies after 3-4 minutes.
If the person fails to cough, he proceeds to place the subject in a way that makes your upper body in a horizontal position with the mouth facing downwards: you give between 5 and 10 shots firmly and rapidly between the shoulder blades hoping that the object that causes the interruption of breathing spill.
If this does not happen will be applied the Heimlich maneuver: you must get behind the subject, place a closed fist just above the navel and below the center of the rib cage and apply some pressure towards themselves and upward with the aid of the other hand. Mind you that in case the person in a state of suffocation is a child, you have to be careful not to press too hard.
If even this maneuver has not resolved the situation, unfortunately, we must proceed by applying a small cut of the trachea down. This is a task whose execution brings fear to most people, unless it doctors or nurses, but in case of necessity have to think that only we can save the person making that face us.
If the choke is actually drowning, you have to take the subject by the ankles and let him take the vertical position on his stomach, his head in a lateral position and an open mouth and press your palms on the coast and from upwards.