RELATED: Never Use This Popular Ingredient When Cooking, CDC Warns. You may have been told that if a person is choking, you can use your finger to scoop out the offending mass and clear their airway. But unless you can see the food or foreign object yourself, you should keep your finger away. Otherwise, you’ll be performing a “blind finger sweep,” which can do more harm than good. “Take the object out of their mouth only if you can see it,” WebMD advises in its guide to choking treatment. “Never do a finger sweep unless you can see the object in the person’s mouth.” RELATED: If You’re Over 65, Never Eat This One Kind of Fish, Says CDC. The problem with using a finger sweep to help a person who is choking is that when you can’t see the food, you could be exacerbating the problem. The idea that a finger sweep is appropriate for all ages “has been replaced by evidence-based practices to only perform a finger sweep if you can see the object clearly in the person’s mouth,” according to National Health Care Provider Solutions (NHCPS). The problem, the organization notes, is that “blind finger sweeps may push an object further into the airway.” If you don’t see the food obstructing their airway immediately, it may become dislodged and visible while performing abdominal thrusts, otherwise known as the Heimlich maneuver. According to NHCPS, “When providing choking first aid, visually check the mouth of the person receiving help between sets of abdominal thrusts or before administering rescue breaths.” If you do see the food and can extricate it with a finger sweep, then you can use the technique.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: For more health advice delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Knowing what not to do is important, but you also need to know how you should respond if you see someone choking. Quoted directly from the WebMD site on choking first aid, here are the steps to take when doing the Heimlich maneuver:
Stand behind the person and wrap your arms around the waist. Place your clenched fist just above the person’s navel. Grab your fist with your other hand. Quickly pull inward and upward as if trying to lift the person up. Perform a total of 5 abdominal thrusts. If the blockage is still not dislodged, continue cycles of 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts until the object is coughed up or the person starts to breathe or cough.
Being able to properly perform abdominal thrusts can save a person’s life, so make sure you’ve brushed up on how to do it right before any big family gatherings this holiday season. RELATED: Never Eat Microwaved Food Before Doing This, FDA Warns.
