Choking
What Is Choking?
To understand choking, you first have to understand what goes on at the back of your throat hundreds of times per day. All the food you eat and the air you breathe passes through your throat to get into your body. Food and liquid go down one pipe - the esophagus (say: ih-sah-fuh-gus) - to your stomach. Air goes down another pipe - the trachea (say: tray-kee-uh), or windpipe - to your lungs. These two pipes share an opening at the back of your throat.
So if they share an opening, how does the food know which pipe to go down? Lucky for you, your body has it all under control. A little flap of cartilage (say: kar-tel-ij) called the epiglottis (say: eh-pih-glah-tis) sits near your trachea, and every time you swallow, it springs into action. Acting like a little door, it closes off the entrance to your trachea so that food is sent down your esophagus into your stomach instead of into your lungs.
But every once in a while, the epiglottis doesn't close in time. A piece of food, like Kevin's hot dog, can slip down into the trachea. Most of the time, it's no big deal. Your body makes you cough and forces it back up.
You've probably experienced this. Did you ever have a sip of a drink that "went down the wrong pipe"? You probably coughed a lot and it might have been scary, but usually you're fine in just a few seconds. That's because coughing is the body's natural defense against stuff that doesn't belong in the trachea. A good cough often can clear out a piece of food - or even an object - that heads down the trachea. If a person can still breathe and talk, coughing often does the trick.
But when someone is truly choking it means the food or object is completely blocking the trachea and air cannot flow into and out of the lungs. The person cannot cough the object out. They can't breathe, talk, or even make noise. They may grab at their throat or wave their arms. If the trachea remains blocked, their face may turn from bright red to blue.
The body needs oxygen to stay alive. When oxygen can't reach the lungs and the brain, a person can become unconscious, sustain brain damage, and even die within minutes. That's what makes choking such a serious emergency.
What Should I Do if Someone Is Choking?
Choking is serious stuff. If you're around someone who's choking, yell for help or call 911 right away. The Heimlich maneuver can be a lifesaver, but it's safest when done by someone trained to perform it. If it's done the wrong way, the choking person - especially a baby or child - could be hurt. If a choking person has already stopped breathing, the Heimlich needs to be performed along with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which is also best performed by someone who knows how to do it correctly.
How Can I Prevent Choking?
Here are four great ways to prevent choking:
- Be extra careful when eating certain foods that are easy to choke on. They include: hot dogs, nuts, grapes, raw carrots, popcorn, and hard or gooey candy.
- Sit down, take small bites, and don't talk with your mouth full! Do we sound like your mom? Well, she's right. And there's more than good manners at stake. Following that advice will help prevent choking.
- Look out for the little guys - and girls. Babies and toddlers love to put things in their mouths, so help keep them safe by picking up anything off the floor that might be dangerous to swallow - like deflated balloons, pen caps, coins, beads, and batteries. Keep toys with small parts out of reach, and never share your food or candy with a baby unless an adult says it's OK.
- Learn the Heimlich maneuver. It's usually taught as part of any basic first-aid course - the kind that might be held by the Red Cross, the YMCA, the American Heart Association, schools, or hospitals in your community. Who knows? You could be a lifesaver someday!
Credit: National Institute of Health.