Choking - adult or child over 1 year - Overview
Alternative Names
Heimlich maneuver - adult or child over 1 year
Definition of Choking - adult or child over 1 year:
Choking is when someone can't breathe because food, a toy, or other object is blocking the airway (throat or windpipe). Considerations:
A choking person's airway may be completely or partially blocked. A complete blockage is an urgent medical emergency. A partial blockage can quickly become life threatening if the person can not properly breathe in and out.
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)
- Reviewed last on: 1/16/2007
- Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
References
Murray, JF. Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 3rd Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2000.
Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th Ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2002.
