Everyone can choke. If there are no people nearby, it can end in tragedy. Therefore, it is worth knowing how to help yourself on your own.
The main thing is not to panic and be clearly aware of what needs to be done.
Blockage of the upper respiratory tract by a foreign body may be partial or complete.
With partial blockage, the victim can, albeit with difficulty, breathe, cough, and speak. It is impossible to take a deep breath. A characteristic gesture in this case is hands clutching convulsively at the throat.
First of all, try to calm down. Panicking will keep you from focusing on self-help and will only make things worse.
Try coughing as hard as possible: this is the main defense mechanism invented by nature. To increase the cough, you can bend in half. In this case, the abdominal muscles will help.
In any case, do not try to suppress the cough. This will only make the situation worse.
If there is a mirror nearby, use it: open your mouth, press your tongue down to your jaw with your fingers, pull it up and push it forward a little. This will improve the view. If you see a foreign body, try to move it with a sliding motion of your finger, and then remove it.
You should not try to grab what is stuck in your throat with two fingers. So you can accidentally push it further and worsen your condition.
In this case, the person has no more than a minute and a half to help himself. After that, most people lose consciousness and have a chance to escape.
It can be the back of a chair (but not on wheels), the edge of the bathtub, and so on. The main thing is to be able to pile on.
Bend over so that the upper part of the abdomen is exactly above the hard edge of the selected object. Relaxing your legs, abruptly lean on the object. The pressure in the abdomen will be transmitted through the diaphragm to the lungs. This will push the foreign body out. This method is considered the most effective in the practice of rescuers.
Make a fist with one hand. Press it 2-3 centimeters above the navel with your thumb to your stomach. Wrap your other hand around your fist and perform five sharp presses on yourself and up.
Due to the inconvenient point of application of force and possible physical weakness due to lack of oxygen, this method is considered not very reliable. It is much more effective when the Heimlich technique is used by someone nearby.
Get on your knees, put your straight hands on the floor. Abruptly remove your arms to the sides and drop your chest to the floor. The impact should increase the pressure in the lungs, a foreign body can fly out of the respiratory tract.
This method is considered more theoretical: you can try it, but whether it will help is unknown.
Leisurely enjoyment of delicious food is a good way to protect yourself from trouble.
