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WHY  CHILDREN  CHOKE

 

Each year, dozens of children die from choking. Babies and toddlers, especially, tend to put anything at all that will fit into their mouths. The item may be too big to swallow and get stuck in the airway.

 

Children are especially at risk because as they choke the back of their throat expands, and as they try to breathe by taking a deep breath the object is sucked further downwards.

 

When to take emergency action

 

When the following symptoms are present you need to act quickly:

• Your child cannot speak or make a sound
• His lips are blue
• His skin is a dusky colour
• He loses consciousness and collapses If urgent action is not taken, death or brain damage will take place within four minutes. If your child is still breathing and has choked, staycalm, dial 999 and get first-aid emergency advice from the Ambulance Service. 

Preventing choking

 

The sight of a choking child is every parent's worst nightmare yet, like many childhood accidents, by taking a few preventive measures the chances of your child choking can be reduced significantly.

• Do not leave small objects - such as toys, coins, marbles or half-deflated balloons - lying around for your curious toddler to find. 
• Keep older children's toys separate from young children's toys. 
• Avoid vending machine toys. These do not have to meet safety regulations and often contain small parts. 
• If your child has no or few teeth, blend his food or cut it up very small. 
• Never let your child run or play while eating. 
• Never allow your child to run with pencils, lollipops or crayons in his mouth. 
• Keep all adult snacks away from exploring toddler hands. 
• Never let siblings feed younger children unsupervised. Infants tend to choke on food, especially peanuts. Older children are more likely to choke on other things, such as pen caps, paper clips and chewing gum. 

AVOID giving children the following foods until they are at least four years old:

 

Whole grapes carrot/apple chunks sweets popcorn

 

Nuts. A child should not eat nuts until they can open the packet.

 

Peanuts are common culprits in choking. They will often not lead to complete airway blockage but will get stuck further down in the lungs and lead to chest infections and wheezing. Don't have peanuts near children, to avoid the risk of choking and/or a severe allergic reaction.

Beware balloons Balloons are an unsuspected hazard in many households. They can easily obstruct the airway, especially if they have almost but not quite fully deflated. Such balloons do a very effective job of completely blocking the airway and are extremely difficult to shift once stuck.

 

Emergency procedure for a choking infant under one year old

 

The management of a choking baby under one year old is different from that of a small child or an older child. You cannot use abdominal thrusts on a baby because these could cause damage to his organs.

 

• Place the baby face down against your forearm with his head lower than his trunk (demonstrated here with a dummy). If he is big, you can lie him face down across your lap. Slap firmly five times between his shoulder blades using the heel of your hand. 
• Check his mouth and remove any obvious obstruction with your finger. 
•  If this does not work, turn him on to his back and rest him on a firm surface if you can. Using two fingers, push over the sternum five times in quick succession, at a rate of one push every three seconds. Then check the mouth. 

Dealing with a choking child

 

The following procedure is recommended for children aged between one and seven years old. Children who cannot yet stand can be treated lying down on your lap, and older children can safely be treated while standing, seated or lying down.

 

First encourage the child to cough to bring up the obstruction. If he begins to weaken or stops coughing, bend him forwards and give up to five firms slaps between the shoulders using the heel of your hand. Check his mouth. 

If this doesn't help, stand or kneel behind the child, make a fist and place it against the lower breastbone. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into the chest with a sharp inward and upward thrust. Repeat up to five times once every three seconds. Stop if the obstruction clears. 

Check his mouth. If the obstruction has not cleared, try abdominal thrusts with your fist just above the child's navel. Give up to five thrusts. Check his mouth. If choking continues, dial 999 and repeat steps 1-3 until help arrive. 

Swallowed objects

 

If you have seen an object in your child's mouth and then cannot find it, you must suspect that he has swallowed it. If he has not choked at all, the likelihood is that the object has passed into his stomach, but you cannot safely assume this. It may be stuck along the route to his stomach and could still result in choking.

 

You must call your local Accident and Emergency department and get their advice. What will happen then depends on what your child has swallowed. He will be X-rayed if it is something that shows up on an X-ray, such as a coin. If the X-ray shows that your child is not at risk of choking, you will be advised to look out for the object in his stools. If it is stuck in the upper gullet, it will have to be surgically removed.

 

Take care

 

If your child has a sudden unexplained coughing fit you must assume that he has inhaled a foreign body, even though he may seem fine. If this is followed by wheezing, or raspy breathing, a foreign body is highly likely and this is a medical emergency. As your child is still able to breathe it is best not to try any actions yourself as this may lead to complete airway blockage. For  EMERGENCY  ASSISTANCE  please  call  96626905021  Saudi  German  Hospital – Jeddah  Emergency  Room.  As soon as you reach hospital, there will be a medical team ready to remove the foreign body under controlled conditions using a bronchoscope.

 

For  More  Information:  Please  consult  your  physician  on  your  next  visit.