What to do in case of asphyxiation 2015/02/18

This could happen to anyone, unfortunately the data is clear: each year, in Italy, more than 50 children die from asphyxiation by a foreign body.

Also, whoever is with the child at that moment is incapable of reacting or performing instinctive actions, which regularly are the most wrong.

Intervening safely and correctly in case of ingestion and obstruction of a foreign body is essential, because lack of oxygen for more than 4 minutes may cause brain damage and even death.

If the child ingests a foreign body, sometimes with a coughing the situation solves itself. If this does not happen and the child presents difficulty breathing, starts to adopt blue cyanotic heat and doesn’t get to eject the object or piece of food by themselves, it is really the moment to intervene.

Firstly, if we are in a public place (store, movies, in the street, etc.) ask for help or draw the attention of the ones present: if we don’t know what to do, someone might help us.

If we are at home alone with our child, calm and rationality.

Call the emergency number of your country and zone (investigate the number having it always present and at hand, even memorize the number), just then proceed with the life saving maneuvers; the most adequate is the HEIMLICH MANEUVER: which is a series of actions designed to force the exit of the foreign body, if the child is conscious.

In the case of newborns, we put the baby upside down.

Keep their mouth open with the hand resting their body along the forearm. Put their head lower than the trunk and slap 5 times between the shoulder blades with the palm in a horizontal way –to not hit their head- always checking the mouth after every slap; if the situation is nit resolved, turn the child in their back and proceed with 5 pressures on the center of the thorax, pushing up with two fingers.

With children older than 1 years of age, the slaps on the back don’t change, only that the child will be resting on our legs, instead of our forearm. If the obstruction is still present after the slaps between the shoulder blades, put yourself behind the child, form a C with the right thumb and index finger. Put your thumb on the center of the breastbone and your index finger on the bellybutton, this will work to locate where you have to insert your left fist inside these points, take your wrist with the right hand and give 5 inward and upwards pushes, checking the mouth with each push. Alternate 5 slaps between the shoulder blades and 5 abdominal pushes.

I leave you with this interesting video  explaining the maneuvers to perform.

Obviously my personal wish is that you never find yourself in the situation of having to help someone who is suffocating, nevertheless making a difference and saving a live is really possible.

source www.paginemamma.it