General information only, not medical, legal, tax, or investment advice. Consult a qualified professional.
If they can’t speak, alternate back blows and thrusts
In one line
If someone over 1 year old cannot cough or speak, give 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts from behind. If they collapse, start CPR. Don’t fish in the mouth for something you can’t see.
What it costs
Free. Look at the steps once.
What you get
MedlinePlus and Red Cross first-aid guidance say to let a person who can still cough keep coughing, and to use this cycle when they cannot speak. This page is not a training course.
How strong the evidence is
Source
MedlinePlus. Choking — adult or child over 1 year.
Watch-outs
The book says to thrust the chest, not the belly, if the person is pregnant or very large. Under 1 year is a different procedure: no abdominal thrusts. Someone calls 119 or 911 at the same time.
Adapted from HowToLiveBetter item 13-26.
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