Berlin, April 27: A child having a coughing fit or wheezing may be choking on food or other object obstructing the airway, the German Otolaryngologists Association said. If the child is unable to cough up the foreign object, it must be removed by a doctor or in a hospital. Quick action by parents is necessary if the child has acute difficult breathing, however.
In the case of babies, lie the baby face down on your forearm or thigh so that the baby’s head is lower than his or her chest. Support the baby’s head and give up to five slaps to the baby’s back between the shoulder blades. Only firm slaps can dislodge the obstruction, noted Jan Loehler, an otolaryngologist in the German city of Bad Bramstedt.
A child who is choking and unable to breathe can sometimes be helped with the Heimlich manoeuvre, also known as abdominal thrusts. Kneel or stand behind the child and wrap your arms around his or her waist. Make a fist with one hand, place it above the navel and below the breastbone, grasp it with the other hand and pull it abruptly upward and inward, Loehler said.
The aim, Loehler explained, is to expel the foreign object from the airway by increasing pressure in the lungs. The Heimlich manoeuvre can be performed up to five successive times. Care should be taken not to squeeze the rib cage, and parents should refrain from the procedure if the child is under one year old.
Though the Heimlich manoeuvre can cause broken ribs and internal injuries, Loehler said it was necessary to take the risk if the child was in danger of suffocating.
–Agencies