First Aid Procedures For Choking

Conscious ​Adults

Step 1: Determine if the person can speak or cough. If not, proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Perform an abdominal thrust (Heimlich maneuver):

• From behind, wrap your arms around the victim's waist.
• Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim's upper abdomen, below the rib cage and above the navel.
• Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into their upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the rib cage. Confine the force of the thrust to your hands.

Step 3: Repeat until object is expelled.

• A chest thrust may be used for markedly obese persons or in late stages of pregnancy.
• If the adult or child becomes unresponsive, perform CPR.
• If you see an object in the throat or mouth, remove it.

Conscious Children ages 1–8​​

Step 1: Determine if the child can speak or cough. If not, proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Perform an abdominal thrust (Heimlich maneuver) repeatedly until the foreign body is expelled.

Step 3: A chest thrust may be used for markedly obese children.

If the child becomes unresponsive, perform CPR.

If you see an object in the throat or mouth, remove it.

CAUTION: Do not perform a blind finger sweep as this may push the object back into the airway.

Conscious Infant less than age 1​

Step 1: Determine if the infant can cry or cough. If not, proceed to next step.

Step 2: Give five back blows.

Step 3: Give five chest thrusts.

Step 4: Repeat steps 2 and 3 above until effective or the infant becomes unconscious.

If the infant becomes unresponsive, perform CPR.

If you see an object in the throat or mouth, remove it.