American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [116]
3. If the object is dislodged but the person stops breathing, start mouth-to-mouth resuscitation immediately (see next page).
Straddle the person and give several forward thrusts
Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation
To provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, follow these steps:
1. Lay the person down on his or her back on a firm, rigid surface.
2. Turn the person’s head to the side and clear the mouth of any visible foreign material (such as food or loose dentures) by sweeping a finger inside the person’s mouth.
Clear the mouth of foreign material
3. If the person’s neck does not appear to be injured, tilt his or her head back by lifting the chin up while gently holding down the forehead with the palm of your other hand. This will open the airway by lifting the tongue from the back of the throat. (Don’t tip a small child’s head back too far.)
Tilt the head back by lifting the chin
4. Pinch the person’s nostrils closed with the fingers of the hand that is holding down the person’s forehead (below). (For a person with a facial injury or for a small child, don’t pinch the nostrils.) Open your mouth wide, take a deep breath, and blow
Blow into the mouth
two full breaths into the person’s mouth.
5. If the person has a mouth injury, blow into his or her nose (below left). For an infant or small child, don’t pinch the nose; blow into both the mouth and nose (below right).
6. Continue breathing into the person’s mouth. Remove your mouth after each breath and turn your head so that your ear is over the person’s mouth to listen for air coming out of his or her lungs. You may also be able to feel the exhaled air. Inhale deeply before blowing into the person’s mouth again. Give one breath about every 5 seconds (one breath every 3 seconds for small children).
Listen and feel for exhaled breath
7. Watch the person’s chest. If the chest does not rise with each breath, the airway is not clear or is not open enough. Recheck the person’s airway; clear it of any foreign material and adjust the person’s chin to try to open the airway.
8. Continue breathing into the person’s mouth until he or she is breathing on his or her own or until medical help arrives.
9. Check the person’s neck (or wrist) artery for a pulse. If there is no pulse, begin chest compressions if you have been trained in CPR. Either way, continue doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until the person is breathing on his or her own or until medical help arrives.
Blow into the nose for a facial injury
Blow into a small child’s mouth and nose
Check the neck artery for a pulse
To Revive a Choking Infant or Baby
1. Sit down and lay the child facedown across your knee (an infant can be held facedown along your arm with your hand supporting his or her jaw).
2. Give the child several thumps between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. The back blows should be strong but not forceful enough to hurt the child.
Thump the child between the shoulder blades
3. If this does not expel the food or object, turn the child onto his or her back (keeping the head lower than the trunk). Place two fingers slightly below and centered between the child’s nipples. Give five quick thrusts to the child’s chest with your fingers. The thrusts should be strong but not forceful enough to hurt the child.
Turn the child on his or her back and give five thrusts with your fingers
4. Repeat both procedures (facedown and faceup) until the child coughs up the food or object.
If the person can’t speak and is having difficulty breathing, have someone call 911 or your local emergency number or get help while you start the Heimlich maneuver. The Heimlich maneuver works by putting pressure on the abdomen. Putting pressure on the abdomen, in turn, pushes up the diaphragm, which increases air pressure in the lungs and forces the object out of the