How to Know If Someone Is Choking

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.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Basic CPR
• Familiarity with the Heimlich Maneuver

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.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are unsure as to what is happening to someone, immediately call 911 for medical assistance. The 911 dispatcher will send medical help and can even walk you through steps to recognize what is wrong and what to do about it.
• If you don't know how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver or basic CPR or if your skills have become rusty, call your local Red Cross for classes on learning or refreshing CPR skills.
• Sometimes, a choking person will become embarrassed and attempt to hide the fact that he is choking. If you suspect choking, never let a person abruptly leave a table or room without following him.
• Know that you only have about four minutes to help someone who is choking before she can suffer brain damage. Don't wait for someone else to help her.