About Choking Hazards

Nearly anything small enough to fit inside the mouth can be a choking hazard. However, there are objects on which children and adults are more likely to choke. Everyone, not only parents of small children, should be especially aware of these choking hazards.

Types

• Common choking hazards include hot dogs, round candy, steak, round ice cubes, grapes, raisins and nuts. Nonfood items that are common choking hazards are coins, small (especially round) toys or toy parts, and uninflated balloons.

Features

• Choking occurs when the airway is blocked or partially blocked. Deprived of oxygen, the brain will begin to die within minutes. Choking can also cause sudden heart attack---especially in the elderly. Choking is most common in infants, small children and the elderly. Senior citizens often lose esophageal tone as they age and swallowing becomes less efficient. Some may have other health issues that affect swallowing, such as a stroke, nerve damage, Parkinson's or multiple sclerosis. Sedative use and alcohol use also increase risk of choking. Sedatives and alcohol relax the opening to the airway. This allows food particles or other objects to lodge there more easily.

Identification

• Any object large enough to block or partially block the airway is a choking hazard---this includes water. A person choking may or may not be able to speak. If the airway is completely blocked, they will not be able to cough or ask for help. Unfortunately, delays in help are common. Most witnesses are not sure what is happening at first, and when they finally realize the person is choking, they may not know what to do.
  If a baby is coughing and cannot get the object up, or she suddenly stops coughing and is silent, she may be in trouble. Look for reddening or darkening of the skin and a panicked expression. A baby may flail her arms or grow rigid when she is choking. An older child or adult may point to his throat and make panicked movements before collapsing. Adults may also hold their chest, which unfortunately can cause bystanders to assume the person is having a heart attack, rather than choking.

Warning

• Even after a person coughs an object up and can breathe again, she may need to go to the hospital to be checked out---especially if someone performed the Heimlich maneuver. Choking can damage the esophagus, and the Heimlich maneuver sometimes bruises organs. Even if a choking victim is coughing, this does not necessarily mean he will be fine. If he is unable to cough the object up and seems to be turning blue or losing consciousness, you should perform the Heimlich maneuver.

Prevention/Solution

• The best way to prevent a child from choking is to keep choking hazards out of his environment. Parents should cut food into small pieces and should keep small toys and other small objects out of reach. Despite these precautions, however, the child may still choke on something. Parents should learn how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on infants and children. The Heimlich maneuver takes very little time to learn and saves lives.
  Even if you do not have children, the chances that you will encounter a choking victim at some point are very high. Learning the simple Heimlich maneuver may help you save a life--the life you save may even be your own. You can do the Heimlich on yourself by leaning forward against a sturdy object and pushing upward with your fist, several times, against your abdomen.