Choking is when someone can't breathe because food, a toy, or other object is blocking the airway (throat or windpipe).
Alternative Names:
Heimlich maneuver - adult or child over 1 year
Considerations:
A choking person's airway may be completely or partially blocked. A complete blockage is an urgent medical emergency. A partial obstruction can quickly become life threatening if the person loses the ability to breathe in and out sufficiently.
Without oxygen, permanent brain damage can occur in as little as 4 minutes. Rapid first aid for choking can save a life.
Causes:
Eating too fast, failing to chew food well enough, or eating with improperly fitted dentures
Alcohol consumption (even a small amount of alcohol affects awareness)
Unconscious or stuporous persons may inhale vomited material
Small objects inhaled by young children
Trauma to the head and face (swelling or blood can cause choking)
Review Date: 4/8/2005
Reviewed By: William D. Whetstone M.D., Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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