Recognizing Choking: Symptoms & Life-Saving First Aid

For the layperson, the signs of choking sometimes mimic those of heart attack, drowning or, in the case of infants, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). With a little education, you can learn to recognize whether someone is choking and even learn how to perform life-saving measures.

Things You'll Need

• Basic CPR
• Familiarity with the Heimlich Maneuver

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Instructions

Recognize the Symptoms of Choking

• 1

  Ask the person, "Are you choking?" if you suspect someone is having breathing difficulties.

• 2

  Know the international sign for choking: one or two hands clutching the throat.

• 3

  Keep an eye out for signs of embarrassment or panic. These include abruptly leaving the table or room, wide eyes, clutching a surface or nearby person and suddenly looking down or away from nearby people.

• 4

  Listen for labored, noisy breathing or wheezing.

• 5

  Listen for crying if the victim is an infant.

• 6

  Check to see whether the person is able to speak or cough.

• 7

  Note whether the person's cough is forceful, in which case you should encourage him to continue coughing as hard as possible.

• 8

  Look at the person's coloring. If she is very pale, turning blue or sweating heavily, she may be choking.

• 9

  Check an unconscious victim for a medic alert bracelet, which may indicate a problem other than choking.

• 10

  Ask bystanders about the events surrounding someone's loss of consciousness before assuming the problem is choking.

• 11

  Designate someone nearby to call 911 and tell the dispatcher that someone is choking.

• 12

  Begin the Heimlich Maneuver once you know that choking is the problem.