Personal Injury Law

Choking is a Key Injury to Minors and Children

By Flaxman & Lopez

Children are susceptible to choking because they often place small objects in their mouths. When these objects are swallowed, they can become lodged in the throat or windpipe, which blocks the flow of air. Choking cuts off oxygen to the brain, which makes it an emergency. Choking can lead to brain injury if the brain is depleted of oxygen long enough and it can also lead to death.

Most people who are choking will clutch their throat. Other signs of choking include:

1) Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing.
2) Inability to speak or cough.
3) Loss of consciousness.
4) Change of color of the skin, lips and nails. In someone who is choking, the skin, lips and nails may turn blue or dusky.

If someone is choking, perform the Heimlich maneuver to get the foreign object out of the victim?s windpipe or throat. If there is more than one person present, have one person call the emergency number on your area (or 911) while the other person performs the Heimlich maneuver. If you are the only person present, perform the Heimlich maneuver first and then call for help.

To perform the Heimlich maneuver:

1) Stand behind the victim who is choking. Place your arms around his or her waist. Gently tip the victim forward a little.
2) Make a fist and place the fist just a little above the person?s navel.
3) Take the fist into your other hand. Press hard into the victim?s abdomen. Use a quick, upward thrust to do this. It may help to pretend that you are using the same gesture you might use if you were trying to lift the victim up.
4) Repeat the upward thrust motion until the object in the mouth is dislodged. You will usually be able to tell because the object may expel from the victim?s mouth with some force.
5) Keep the victim calm and get them checked out by a doctor, if necessary.

If you are alone and you begin to choke, you may not be able to rely on anyone else to help you. In this situation, you will have to perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself. To do this:

Full post as published by Florida Injury Lawyer Blog on February 22, 2008 (boomark / email).