How First Responders Treat Choking Victims

In a choking emergency, there are some common first-aid treatments medical personnel use to try to help victims. We here at Dechoker aim to change and improve the current standards of care by adding a new tool to the first-aid kit of every first responder — and every home — around the world. Let’s take a look at the widely accepted treatments and why we believe our innovative anti-choking device can help.

Common First-Aid Treatments During a Choking Emergency

If someone near you experiences a choking emergency, the first thing to do is call 911. Ideally, one person could call while another begins first-aid care if possible, because time is crucial to prevent brain damage and death. First responders are trained to perform a combination of two treatments on choking victims, and these are the same treatments that caregivers should familiarize themselves with:

• The Heimlich maneuver: Also known as abdominal thrusts, this process involves wrapping your arms around a choking victim, holding your hands together in a fist just below the victim’s ribcage, and thrusting inward and upward. You can repeat the process about five times, then alternate to the next step.
• Back slaps: After several abdominal thrusts, shift to back slaps. Use the heel of your hand to deliver five firm blows to the person’s back between the shoulder blades. If the object remains stuck in the victim’s airway, alternate back to abdominal thrusts.

If these treatments prove ineffective, first responders may then proceed to CPR if the victim becomes unconscious. Lastly, paramedics may decide to perform intubation or a tracheostomy if they cannot get the object out of the airway.

The Dechoker: Changing the Standard of Care

These choking first-aid treatments have been the accepted standard worldwide since the 1970s. Although they can be effective if done correctly, they also come with a serious risk of injury to the choking victim, with broken ribs being a common side effect.

Our innovative anti-choking device, The Dechoker, comes with no such risk. It’s extremely easy to use among both emergency medical professionals and laypeople, and it has begun to stem the tide of choking deaths in areas where anti-choking devices are used regularly.

Unfortunately, first responders in the U.S. do not commonly train with The Dechoker. We believe it’s time to change that. Choking is one of the leading causes of accidental death, and first responders, caregivers and others should have every possible defense at their fingertips.

We recommend the easy-to-use Dechoker device not as a replacement for traditional treatments, but as an alternative that’s available if those treatments are unsuccessful. Just as defibrillators are now found in lots of public spaces to help in heart health emergencies, we believe there should be a Dechoker within reach in every school, every restaurant and certainly every emergency vehicle in the world.

More About the Life-Saving Dechoker Device

Learn more about how The Dechoker works here, check out our range of available Dechoker device models based on age and relative size, and follow us on Facebook to see regular updates about how we’re fighting back against choking deaths around the world.