Taipei City Government

1. Mild foreign body airway obstruction: (i) Immediately ask the person or family members, “Are you/is he/she choking?” (ii) Encourage the person to cough, but do not interfere with the person’s spontaneous coughing and breathing efforts. 2. Severe foreign body airway obstruction: (conscious) (i) Immediately ask the person or family members, “Are you/is he/she choking?” (ii) If the person nods or is unable to speak, immediately move behind the person and bring one leg forward, with your front knee below the victim’s crotch and upper body close to the back of the person to stabilize the person. (iii) Make a fist (the thumb and the forefinger face the person’s abdomen) and place it against the middle of the person’s upper abdomen, above the navel. Grasp your fist with the other hand (for late pregnancy or obese person, consider chest compression). (iv) Press your hands into the person’s upper abdomen with repeat quick upthrust, paying attention to any foreign body being spat out, until the person loses consciousness or when theforeign body is dislodged. 3. If the foreign body is unable to be dislodged and the person has lost consciousness and collapsed on the rescuer, you should call for help or dial 119: (i) Move your front leg backwards, and swiftly and carefully lay the person on the floor facing up. (ii) Press the forehead and raise the person’s chin to open the airway. If you see any solid foreign body in the person’s mouth, tilt the person’s head to one side and dislodge the foreign bodyusing the finger sweep method. (iii) If no solid foreign body can be seen after the finger sweep, blow one time into the person’s mouth. (iv) If the air cannot be blown in or the chest does not rise, open the airway again and blow one more time. v) If the air still cannot be blown in or the chest does not rise, provide immediate chest compression 30 times (with a speed of 100 times per minute). At the same time, see if there is any foreign body being spat out or sign of obstruction removed. (vi) Repeat steps 2~5, until the obstruction is removed or when 119 arrives to take over the emergency rescue. 4. For child of less than 1 year of age with airway obstruction: (i) First, provide back blows on the baby. Turn the baby over, facing down, supporting on the baby’s hands. Hold the baby’s chin with your palm to keep the airway open. With the heel of your hand, deliver 5 blows to the middle of the back between the shoulder blades. (ii) Turn the baby over facing up, and press the baby’s breastbone with 2 fingers in the middle of the chest between the nipples 5 times. (iii) Continue with the above rescue method and call for help or dial 119 for help. 5. Other things to note: encourage the choking person to cough, but do not interfere with the person’s spontaneous coughing or breathing effort.