Activity #6

Foreign Body Airway Obstructions

 What is Foreign Body Airway Obstruction?

Foreign body airway obstruction is a partial or complete blockage of the lungs'

breathing passageways caused by a foreign body (for example, food, a bead, toy, etc.).
Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) causes suffocation and is a terrifying condition
that occurs suddenly, with the patient frequently unable to describe what is going on.

 Where is Foreign Body Airway Obstruction?

Airway obstruction, also known as foreign body airway obstruction, occurs when
something becomes stuck in a person’s throat or upper airway, making breathing
difficult. This can happen anywhere, and this can be treated anywhere it is happening
with the victim standing if they are adult or toddler and seated if infant to one year old.

 Why is knowing Foreign Body Airway Obstruction management important?

Choking is the fourth greatest cause of accidental injury death, according to

Injury Facts 2017. In 2015, 2,848 of the 5,051 persons who died from choking were
above the age of 74. Food is often the cause of choking events in the elderly. Living
alone, wearing dentures, or having difficulties swallowing may all raise the risk. If you
see someone clutching their throat, coughing, gagging, wheezing or passed out, would
you know what to do?

There may be times where airway obstructions happen and there is no one in the
scene to help. A person may be in a circumstance that necessitates an immediate
response. Someone choking is one of those times. Knowing how to manage foreign
body obstructions (FBAO), such as the Heimlich maneuver, can save lives, and
individuals of all ages should and should know how to do it. A quick response can
prevent death from choking, so responders should be able to recognize and respond to
FBAO.  Those who deal with families should also teach parents how to avoid,
recognize, and respond to it.

 How to manage a foreign body airway obstruction?

Different manuevers to be used when someone is choking:

 Back blows
This maneuver is performed by applying a sharp blow to the center of the patient’s back
between the shoulder blades, using the heel of one hand. The aim is to relieve the
obstruction with each blow, rather than to give all five blows.
 The appropriate amount of force will vary between patients.
 Infants may be placed in a head down position to deliver back blows, that is,
across the rescuer’s lap, while children and adults may be treated in the sitting or
standing position.

 Abdominal thrust
Abdominal thrusts, also known as the Heimlich maneuver or Heimlich maneuver, is a
first aid procedure used to treat upper airway obstructions by foreign objects.
1. Stand behind the person who is choking.
2. Place your arms around their waist and bend them forward.
3. Clench 1 fist and place it right above their belly button.
4. Put the other hand on top of your fist and pull sharply inwards
5. and upwards.
6. Repeat this movement up to 5 times.
  Chest thrust
This maneuver is applied at the same point on the chest that is used when providing
chest compressions during CPR. It is delivered sharper, but at a slower rate, than chest
compressions during CPR.
When performing a chest thrust, the patient’s back must be supported, to allow
compression of the chest.
Methods in supporting the patient’s back may include:
 Placing your other hand on the patient’s back.
 If the patient is sitting, use your other hand to support the back of the chair.
 Have another person stand / kneel behind as appropriate to provide support.
 Lie the patient down on their side, kneel behind them and support their back with
your thigh.
How to manage a foreign body airway obstruction?
Adults
 If it is a mild obstruction, let the patient to continue coughing and monitor for
any complication.
 In a severe obstruction to a conscious patient:

1. Stand to the side and slightly behind the victim and try to support the
chest with one hand and lean the victim forward.
2. Give up to five sharp back blows between the shoulder blades with the
heel of your other hand and check if the obstruction has been relieved
after each blow.
3. If unsuccessful, give five abdominal thrusts. Stand behind the victim (who
is leaning forward), put both arms around the upper abdomen and clench
one fist, grasp it with the other hand and pull sharply inwards and
upwards.
4. Continue alternating five back blows and five abdominal thrusts until
successful or the patient becomes unconscious.
In an unconscious patient:
1. Lower the patient to the floor. Keeping the back in a straight line while
firmly supporting the head and neck. Expose the person’s chest.
2. Seek for medical assistance immediately.
3. Open the person’s mouth with your thumb and index finger, placing
your thumb over the tongue and your index finger under the chin. If you
can see an object and it is loose, remove it.
4. Look into the victim’s mouth. If you do not see an object, open the
person’s airway by lifting the chin while tilting the head back.
5. Watch for the evidence of breathing. Place your ear close to the
person’s mouth and watch for chest movement. Look, listen and feel for
breathing for five seconds.
6. If the person is breathing, give first aid for unconsciousness.
7. Start rescue breathing. If the person is not breathing, begin rescue
breathing. Maintain the head position, close the person’s nostrils by
pinching them with your thumb and index finger, and cover the person’s
mouth tightly with your mouth. Give two slow, full breaths with a pause in
between.
8. If the person’s chest does not rise, reposition the head and give two
more breaths.
9. If the chest still does not rise, the airway is likely blocked, and you need to
start CPR with chest compressions. The compressions may help
relieve the blockage.
10. Do 30 chest compressions, open the person’s mouth to look for an
object. If you see the object and it is loose, remove it.
11. If the object is removed, but the person has no pulse, begin CPR with
chest compressions.
12. If you do not see an object, give two more rescue breaths. If the
person’s chest still does not rise, keep going with cycles of chest
compressions, checking for an object, and rescue breaths until medical
help arrives or the person starts breathing on their own.

Pediatrics
For children (1 year old and above)
1. Let the child positioned head down. A small child can be placed across
the lap as with an infant. If this is not possible, support the child in a
forward-leaning position.
2. Deliver up to five sharp back blows with the heel of one hand in the
middle of the back between the shoulder blades.
 3. After five unsuccessful back blows, abdominal thrusts may be used in
children over 1 year old:
1. Stand or kneel behind the child, placing arms around torso. Place
a clenched fist between the umbilicus and xiphisternum.
2. Grasp this hand with your other hand and pull sharply inwards
and upwards, repeating up to five times.
4. If the child becomes unconscious, place him or her on a flat, firm surface,
shouting for help if none has arrived. Open the mouth and look for any
obvious object. If one is seen, try to remove it with a single finger sweep.
5. If unsuccessful, begin CPR as for basic life support. Begin with five
rescue breaths, checking for rise and fall of the chest each time.
Reposition the head each time if a breath does not make the chest rise,
before making the next attempt.
For infants (below 1 year old)
1. In a seated position, support the infant in a head-downwards, prone
position to let gravity aid removal of the foreign body.
2. Support the head by placing the thumb of one hand at the angle of the
lower jaw, and one or two fingers from the same hand at the same point
on the other side of the jaw. Do not compress the soft tissues under the
jaw, this will cause further obstruction.
3. Deliver up to five sharp blows with the heel of your hand in between the
shoulder blades.
4. After each blow, assess to see if the foreign body has been dislodged
and, if not, repeat the maneuver up to five times.
5. After five unsuccessful back blows, use chest thrusts:
1. Turn the infant into a supine position by placing your free arm
along the infant’s back and encircling the occiput with your hand.
2. Support the infant down your arm, which is placed down across
your thigh.
3. Identify the landmark for chest compression. This is the lower
sternum, about a finger’s breadth above the xiphisternum. Place
2 fingers on the middle of his breastbone just below the nipples.
4. Deliver five chest thrusts, compressing the chest 1/3 to 1/2 the
depth of the chest.
5. Continue this series of 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts until the
object is dislodged or the infant loses consciousness.

 If the child becomes unresponsive, stops breathing, or turns blue:

1. Call for 911.
2. Give infant CPR.
3. Try to remove an object blocking the airway ONLY if you can
see it.
 REFERENCES:

Stöppler, MD, M. C. (2021, March 29). Medical

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