- Stand behind the person and wrap your arms around their waist under the ribcage.
- Put your fist above the person’s navel in the middle of the belly.
- With your other hand, hold the first fist and press forcefully into the abdomen and up toward their chest.
- Continue performing thrusts until the obstruction is relieved or until the person becomes unresponsive. If the person becomes unresponsive, begin CPR.
Choking
Choking
Ask “Are you choking?”? If a person is unable to breathe or speak treat them as below. If they can talk or cough, allow them to continue until they clear the obstruction or you feel you need to call the EMS.
Choking can be mild or severe. Table 1 will help determine whether it is mild or severe.
For Adult and Child
Stand behind the victim with one foot in between the victims’ feet and your other foot behind you.
Perform 5 back slaps between the patient’s shoulder blades. Place the flat side of your fist just above the patient’s belly button. Grab the back of your fist with the other hand and pull inwards and upwards.
Continue back slaps and abdominal thrusts until the object is cleared or the patient becomes unconscious. If they become unconscious, when you would perform CPR.
Advise the patient to seek medical help afterwards, even if the object has been successfully cleared.
To perform the Heimlich maneuver, do the following:
Infants
Administer 5 back blows and chest thrusts using your two fingers until the obstruction is cleared or the patient becomes unconscious.
Special Circumstances
If the patient is pregnant or too large to reach around, place your fist in the middle of the chest to perform chest thrusts.
