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Choking
(Airway obstruction)
Signs and symptoms
The casualty may be
- clutching the throat
- coughing, wheezing, gagging
- having difficulty speaking or swallowing
- making violent attempts to breathe
- turning blue in the face, neck, lips, ears or fingernails
- making a whistling or 'crowing' noise
- collapsing or becoming unconscious.
What to do
Partial blockage
- Encourage the casualty to relax and breathe deeply.
- Ask casualty to cough to try to remove the object.
- If this is unsuccessful, bend the casualty well forward and give four sharp blows between their shoulder blades.
- If the blockage has not cleared, place the casualty on their side on the floor.
- Call 000 for an ambulance.
Total blockage
- Bend the casualty forward from the waist and give four sharp blows between their shoulder blades.
- If this is unsuccessful, lay them on their side on the floor.
- Give lateral thrusts by placing hands on the side of casualty's chest below their armpits and giving four quick downward thrusts.
- If the blockage has not cleared, call 000 for a ambulance.
- Repeat the above steps until help arrives or the blockage is cleared.
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