Airway Obstruction-Choking
General Information
Choking often happens to children, especially infants and young children. Unfortunately, many children
die each year because they choke on an object. Infants and young children like to put things into their
mouths, such as foods, toys, and balloons, and they do not know which items are too small for them to
have.
When is a child choking?
A child is choking when he or she suddenly begins making noises such as coughing, gagging, or
wheezing. You may have seen the child put something into his or her mouth before the noises began.
The child may look afraid and may become pale and limp.
What should be done for a choking child?
If the child is choking and gasping for breath, do the following:
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Look, listen, and feel for breathing. If you can feel air coming from the child's mouth and the child
is trying to cough up the object, keep the child calm and call the emergency medical service
(EMS) system. Let the child get into a position that he or she prefers. Do not try to remove an
object from the child's mouth or throat if you cannot see it. You may hurt the child and make the
object go deeper into the child's throat.
Reassure the child and encourage him or her to cough up the object. If the child coughs up the
object, save it to make sure that all of the object was coughed up. Encourage the child to take
deep breaths until the EMS professionals arrive.
If the child is not breathing, call EMS.Do the Heimlich maneuver on a child or administer back
blows on an infant. Begin rescue breathing, as taught in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
training.
Prevention of choking
Choking is easily prevented in infants and young children. To help prevent choking, take the following
steps.
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Cut up children's food into small pieces.
Watch children while they eat. Make sure that they take small bites and do not put too much food
into their mouths.
Avoid foods that can block the child's airway, such as peanuts, grapes, popcorn, and hot dogs.
Keep games with small pieces out of infants' and children's reach.
Test infants' and children's toys for breakable parts and small pieces. Keep toys with removable
or loose pieces away from infants and young children.
Use nonlatex (mylar) balloons for children. Latex balloons that are not inflated can easily block
infants' and children's airways.
Supervise infants and young children when they play with older children.
Learn infant and child CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, and back blows in case of choking.
Reproduced with permission from Ball: Mosby's Pediatric Patient Teaching Guides. St Louis, Mosby,
1998