The first attention in case of asphyxia by object

• April 23, 2024

It is common that when we are in the office, on the street, in a restaurant or at home, someone of those present is the victim of a respiratory obstruction; either by food or by some object, this is very common in children, since their curiosity leads them to put things in their mouth, although adults are not exempt.

The first person who participates in the care of an injured person, can be anyone: mom, children, siblings, co-worker, or simply someone who happened to be there. Although it is not necessary to be a professional, it does have knowledge of first aid and based on it, it will be possible to provide better care.

First of all it is necessary to make a primary evaluation of the patient, to determine if it is a partial or total obstruction. In case of being partial, it is necessary to motivate the patient to cough or to free himself from it, the important thing is to avoid that it becomes total. These can be distinguished by the noises made by the patient or by the absence of them if the air can not pass through the respiratory tract.

When it comes to a total obstruction, it is necessary to act promptly, because the consequences can be very dangerous, from brain atrophy to death. That is why it is necessary to activate the emergency services, while the attention is provided.

Once the emergency service is activated and the person being treated is evaluated, it is necessary to initiate the application of the Heimlich maneuver to clear the airway, it should be noted that even if the patient has thrown the obstructing object, it is necessary to receive attention Medical specialist, although it has saved his life, can have complications because of the maneuver.

It is very important how quickly the patient receives adequate care, depending on the magnitude of the damage, and the prognosis of survival or sequelae.