Choking
Choking is when the airway gets blocked and a person can’t breathe properly. This prevents oxygen getting into the body.
If you think someone is choking, ask them to check they’re not suffering from something else.
Can they speak, cry, cough or breathe?
If they can, they should be able to clear their throat on their own by coughing, so encourage them, where possible, to lean forward and cough.
If they can’t cough or make any noise, it’s serious.
Cough it out
Encourage them to cough. If this doesn't clear the obstruction, support their upper body with one hand and help them lean forward.
Slap it out
If coughing doesn’t work, help the person bend forward
Use the heel of your hand to give up to five sharp back blows between their shoulder blades
Check their mouth to see whether there’s anything in there. If there is, where possible, get them to pick it out
Squeeze it out
If back blows don’t work, give up to five abdominal thrusts. Stand behind them
Link your hands between their tummy button and the bottom of their chest with your lower hand clenched in a fist
Pull sharply inwards and upwards
Call for help
If they’re still choking, ensure that emergency help is on its way.
What Do I Do Next?
Once you’ve called, continue steps 2 and 3 – back blows and abdominal thrusts – until the blockage has cleared, help arrives or they become unresponsive.
If they become unresponsive at any stage, open their airway and check their breathing.
If they’re not breathing, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to try to release whatever’s stuck in there.
Session Summary
Key Points
If an adult is unresponsive and not breathing, they will be suffering from a cardiac arrest. Without CPR they will die
Currently less than a third of people who have a cardiac arrest get any CPR before emergency medical help arrives. If you start CPR before help arrives, you can double the person’s chances of survival. Every second counts – any delay can quickly reduce a person’s chance of survival. And if they do survive, delay can also cause permanent damage to the person’s brain
By performing CPR, the aim is to keep their heart and circulation going to try to save their life. With CPR, you are taking over the role of their heart and lungs, pumping blood and oxygen around their body
“If someone has a cardiac arrest, their heart has stopped and they certainly will not survive if no help is offered; you cannot make things any worse! By calling 999 and starting CPR you can only improve their situation.”
Next Steps
Continue to the Resuscitation eAssessment. This should be completed to demonstrate the required knowledge and understanding and to complete the training. Remember to also familiarise yourself with local procedures.
