The Receiving End of Sirens

Food or small objects can cause choking if they get caught in your throat and block your airway. This keeps oxygen from getting to your lungs and brain. If your brain goes without oxygen for more than four minutes, you could have brain damage or die. If a person is clutching his or her throat with both hands, he or she is making the universal sign for choking. If the person can cough or talk, encourage him or her to continue coughing. Once the victim can no longer talk or cough, you must clear the obstructed airway. To clear the obstructed airway that causes choking, you must perform the Heimlich maneuver, also known as abdominal thrusts. Stand behind the conscious choking adult, wrapping your arms around his or her waist. Physical and developmental factors put children at risk for choking. Children who choke run the risk of death, permanent brain damage c caralluma aused by lack of oxygen, or other complications associated with airway blockage. In 2001, thousands of children were treated in U.S. emergency departments for nonfatal choking episodes. CDC recently published findings from a study that examined nonfatal choking episodes among children in the United States. Causes Choking is most common in children. A marble, button or food may get in the air passage and cause blockage. In adults too, food may go down the wrong way (go into the windpipe instead of food pipe) and cause choking. The danger of choking increases if the person has been drinking alcohol and becomes careless about chewing food well. Symptoms Clutching the throat: The natural response to choking is to grab the throat with one or both hands. This is the universal choking sign and a way of telling people around you that you are choking.