If a person is choking and cannot talk, cry or laugh forcefully, give five back blows and then five abdominal thrusts. To perform abdominal thrusts, also called the Heimlich maneuver, on yourself, place a fist slightly above your navel.
Grasp your fist with the other hand and bend over a hard surface. Shove your fist inward and upward. Choking happens when an object lodges in the throat or windpipe blocking the flow of air. In adults, a piece of food is usually to blame. Young children often choke on small objects.
Choking is life-threatening. It cuts off oxygen to the brain. Give first aid as quickly as possible if you or someone else is choking.
To prepare yourself for these situations, learn the Heimlich maneuver and CPR in a certified first-aid training course. If you're the only rescuer, give back blows and abdominal thrusts first.
Then call or your local emergency number for help. If another person is there, have that person call for help while you give first aid. If you're alone and choking, call or your local emergency number right away. Then, give yourself abdominal thrusts, also called the Heimlich maneuver, to remove the stuck object. If a person can't cough, talk, cry or laugh forcefully, give first aid to the person. Some sources only teach the abdominal thrust. It's OK not to use back blows if you haven't learned the back-blow technique.
