How to Save a Life in a Choking Emergency

Kenyetta Hall
Feb 17, 2025
3 min read

Why Choking Emergencies Require Quick Action

Choking can happen suddenly and without warning. Whether it’s a child swallowing a small object or an adult struggling with a piece of food, knowing how to react quickly can mean the difference between life and death. This guide will teach you the step-by-step techniques to help someone who is choking, including the Heimlich maneuver and CPR for unconscious victims.

Recognizing the Signs of Choking

Before taking action, it’s essential to determine if someone is truly choking. Look for these common signs:

✔ Clutching the throat (universal choking sign)

✔ Inability to speak or breathe

✔ Weak or forceful coughing

✔ Bluish skin, lips, or nails due to lack of oxygen

✔ Loss of consciousness if choking is not relieved

If the person is unable to cough, speak, or breathe, immediate intervention is required.

How to Perform the Heimlich Maneuver (Abdominal Thrusts)

If a person is conscious but cannot breathe, use the Heimlich maneuver:

✅ For Adults & Children Over 1 Year Old:

Stand behind the choking person and wrap your arms around their waist.
Make a fist with one hand and place it just above their belly button.
Grab your fist with your other hand and thrust upward and inward with quick force.
Repeat thrusts until the object is expelled or the person becomes unconscious.

✅ For Infants Under 1 Year Old:

Position the Baby – Lay them face down on your forearm, supporting their head and neck.
Give 5 Back Blows – Using the heel of your hand, give 5 firm blows between the shoulder blades.
Flip & Give 5 Chest Thrusts – Turn the baby onto their back and use two fingers to press down on the chest.
Repeat Until Object is Dislodged – Continue cycles of back blows and chest thrusts until the airway is clear or help arrives.

What to Do If You’re Alone & Choking

f no one is around to help, you can still perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself:

✔ Make a fist and place it just above your belly button.

✔ Push your fist inward and upward using quick, forceful movements.

✔ If needed, lean over a firm surface (like a chair or counter) and press your abdomen against it to generate thrusts.

How to Perform CPR If Someone Becomes Unconscious

If a choking victim becomes unresponsive, immediate CPR is necessary:

Call 911 or instruct someone nearby to do so.
Lay the person flat on their back.
Begin Chest Compressions – Place your hands in the center of the chest and push down hard and fast at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute.
Give Rescue Breaths – If trained, provide two rescue breaths after every 30 compressions.
Continue CPR Until Help Arrives.

Preventing Choking Emergencies

✔ Cut food into small pieces, especially for young children.

✔ Avoid talking or laughing while eating.

✔ Keep small objects out of reach of toddlers.

✔ Encourage slow and careful eating habits.

✔ Supervise children during meals and snack times.

Take Action – Learn CPR & First Aid Today

Knowing how to respond to a choking emergency can save lives. But prevention and preparedness go hand in hand. Taking a certified CPR and First Aid course will give you the confidence to handle choking, cardiac arrest, and other life-threatening situations.

👉 Sign up for a CPR & First Aid class today!