A condition in which someone is prevented from breathing.
Partial and complete blockage of the air passages, generally because the person has swallowed food or a foreign object that has lodged in the throat. Partial obstruction, with some air flow, can often be cleared by coughing, but total obstruction will lead to asphyxia unless the airways are opened. Children are especially vulnerable to choking because their air passages are narrower and because very young children cannot recognize that they should not try to swallow small items, such as jelly beans or buttons. Danger is increased if they have physical problems involving the muscles of the mouth and neck, affecting speaking, breathing, and eating.
Condition due to blocking of the airway to the lungs, as with food or other swallowed object or with swelling of the larynx. The victim is unable to speak, tries to cough, becomes red and then purplish in the face, and becomes increasingly desperate to breathe, usually pointing to the throat, and, if unrelieved, collapses. Emergency treatment involves removal of the obstruction if possible and resuscitation if necessary.
A breathing emergency caused by an airway that has been blocked by food or another object. Choking is a common emergency, usually the result of inadequately chewed food that has become lodged in the throat or windpipe.
Choking is the process which results from an obstruction, situated in the larynx, to breathing. It may occur as the result of disease causing swelling round the glottis (the entrance to the larynx), or of some nervous disorders that interfere with the regulation of the muscles which open and shut the larynx. Generally, however, it is due to the irritation of a piece of food or other substance introduced by the mouth, which provokes coughing but only partly interferes with breathing. As the mucous membrane lining the upper part of the latter is especially sensitive, coughing results in order to expel the cause of irritation. At the same time, if the foreign body is of any size, lividity of the face appears, due to partial suffocation.
Upper airway obstruction caused, for example, by a foreign body in the trachea or oropharynx, laryngeal edema or spasm, or external compression of the neck. The choking patient may have gasping or stridorous respirations, repetitive ineffective coughing, an inability to speak, or hypersalivation. Intense agitation may be present. If the airway is not rapidly cleared, asphyxia and hypoxia may produce loss of consciousness or death.
The condition in which the trachea (windpipe) is partly or completely blocked.
Dyspnea, characterized by the partial or complete inability to breathe, arises from the obstruction of the airways. Choking frequently ensues when solid food or liquids mistakenly enter the trachea (windpipe) or bronchi (the main air passages to the lungs), rather than following the correct route from the pharynx (throat) to the esophagus (gullet). Normally, the natural response of coughing aids in dislodging the obstructing substance. However, when an obstruction partially blocks the airway and cannot be effectively cleared through coughing, the situation becomes more severe. Complete blockage of the airway will lead to suffocation unless the obstruction is promptly removed.
If traditional first-aid techniques like the Heimlich maneuver or manual removal fail to clear an airway obstruction, it may become necessary to perform an emergency tracheostomy. This procedure involves making an incision into the trachea and inserting a tube to establish a direct airway passage into the lungs. Once the airway is secured, the obstructing object can be extracted using specialized instruments such as a laryngoscope or bronchoscope, which enable visual inspection and provide a means to manipulate the object and remove it safely. These interventions are crucial in restoring and preserving the patency of the airway in emergency situations.