It is highly likely that you will see someone choking at some time in your life. You can be prepared by knowing simple life saving techniques that will allow you to recognize that a victim is choking.

Time is of the essence when you find someone chocking. Free breathing needs to be restored within four minutes or brain damage could result. A person will most likely die if breathing is not restored within 8 minutes or less, so there is rarely time to wait for help to arrive. Immediate first aid techniques need to be administered to clear the airway as quickly as possible.

SIGNS OF A CHOKING VICTIM

The signs of choking can sometimes be confused with a heart attack but you can tell someone is choking because they will be unable to speak.

If something is blocking someone's airway but they are coughing or speaking - that means they can breath and you should not interfere with their own efforts to clear their throat.

If a victim is seriously choking they will become pale and turn a bluish color. They might perspire and even collapse. In this case, life saving techniques need to be administered immediately.

ABDOMINAL THRUST OR HEIMLICH MANEUVER

Generally this technique is the preferred method for cleaning a blocked breathing passage and can be preformed with the victim standing or sitting down.

Place your fist against the victim's abdomen with your thumb slightly above the navel and below the tip of the breastbone. If your grasp is two high, you could break the tip of the victims breastbone especially if you are helping a small child. Although this is a better alternative than choking to death it can easily be avoided.

Grasp your fist with your other hand and press it into the victims abdomen using four quick upward thrusts.

If your victim is pregnant or too overweight to get your arms around them for performing the traditional Heimlich maneuver, you can give them the chest thrust technique. Place your arms around the victim's armpits and encircle their chest. Place the thumb side of your fist on the breastbone as discussed above. Grab your fist with your other hand and make four quick inward thrusts.

If you are alone and choking, you can give yourself abdominal thrusts by leaning over a chair, porch railing, edge of a sink or bedpost.

BACK BLOWS METHOD

If the abdominal thrusts do not work try using the back blows method by standing at the victim's side and slightly behind him. Put one of your hands on their chest to support yourself and give sharp, quick blows between the victim's shoulder blades. Use the heel of your hand and give the blows as quickly as possible. In a standing position, if you keep your victims head lower than your own chest level, gravity can assist you in performing effective back blows.

For infants and small babies, this procedure should be done with the victim face up on your forearm and head down. You can balance the child on your thigh to perform the back blows. You can also use this same position to give upward diaphragm thrusts using two or three fingers on their abdomen following the steps listed in the abdominal thrust.

CHEST THRUST TECHNIQUE

If your victim is lying down and the back thrusts did not work, roll the victim on third back and straddle their hips or sit next to them on one side. Place one of your hands on top of the other with the heal in the middle of the victim's abdomen. Locate the tip of the breastbone at the upper abdomen and measure two or three fingers wide up from this point. You should be positioned slightly above the navel and below the rib cage. Press upward toward the diaphragm with four quick thrusts to compress the chest cavity.

If neither of these procedures work, you can continue alternating the thrusts. Four quick upward thrusts, then four quick back blows.

When these procedures are used properly the blocking object should pop from the patient's mouth, allowing their normal breathing to resume.