First Aid & Emergencies
Choking Treatment
Call 911 if:
- The person is choking.
- The person is unconscious.
- The person is choking.
- The person is unconscious.
For infants 12 months of age and younger, see Choking in Children.
While Waiting for 911
If the Person Is Conscious but Not Able to Breathe or Talk:
1. Give Back Blows
- Give up to 5 blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
2. If Person Is Still Choking, Do Thrusts
If the person is not pregnant or too obese, do abdominal thrusts:
- 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.
- Continue cycles of 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts until the object is coughed up or the person starts to breathe or cough.
- Take the object out of his mouth only if you can see it. Never do a finger sweep unless you can see the object in the person's mouth.
If the person is obese or pregnant, do high abdominal thrusts:
- Stand behind the person, wrap your arms them, and position your hands at the base of the breast bone.
- Quickly pull inward and upward.
- Repeat until the object is dislodged.
3. Give CPR, if Necessary
If the obstruction comes out, but the person is not breathing or if the person becomes unconscious:
- For a child, start CPR for children.
- For an adult, start CPR for adults.
4.Follow Up
When emergency medical personnel arrive, they will take over and may do CPR or take the person to the hospital, if needed.
WebMD Medical Reference
First Aid A-Z
- Abdominal Pain
- Abdominal Pain in Children
- Acetaminophen Poisoning
- Alcohol Intoxication
- Allergic Reaction
- Altitude/Mountain Sickness
- Amputation (Accidental)
- Animal Bites
- Ankle Fracture
- Ankle Sprain
- Anthrax
- Aspirin Poisoning
- Asthma Attack
- Asthma Attack in Children
- Asthma Attack in Pregnancy
- Battery Ingestion
- Bends/Decompression Syndrome
- Black Eye
- Black Widow Spider Bite
- Bleeding
- Bleeding During Pregnancy
- Bleeding Under Nails
- Blisters
- Blood in Stool
- Blood in the Urine
- Blue Lips (Cyanosis)
- Breathing Problems
- Broken Arm
- Broken Arm in Children
- Broken Collarbone
- Broken Elbow
- Broken Finger
- Broken Finger in Children
- Broken Foot
- Broken Hand
- Broken Hip
- Broken Jaw
- Broken Leg
- Broken Nose
- Broken or Knocked-out Teeth
- Broken Shoulder Blade
- Broken Toe
- Brown Recluse Spider Bite
- Bruises
- Bruises in Children
- Burns
- Burns/Scalds in Children
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Catfish Sting
- Chemical Burns
- Chemical Eye Burn
- Chest Injury
- Chest Pain
- Chest Pain (Angina)
- Choking
- Choking in Children
- Colds in Children
- Concussion
- Congestion in Children
- Constipation
- Convulsions in Children
- Coughs
- CPR for Adults
- CPR for Children
- Crabs (Pubic Lice)
- Cradle Cap
- Crying/Colic
- Cuts and Bleeding
- Cuts and Bleeding in Children
- Cyanide Poisoning
- Dehydration
- Dehydration in Children
- Diaper Rash
- Diarrhea
- Diarrhea in Children
- Diving Ear Pain
- Dizziness
- Drowning
- Drowning in Children
- Drug Allergy
- Drug Overdose
- Ear Foreign Body
- Ear Infections
- Eczema
- Elbow Dislocation
- Electric Shock
- Exercise-Induced Asthma
- Eye Bleeding (Hyphema)
- Eye Burns/Corneal Burns
- Eye Injuries
- Eye Injuries in Children
- Eye Sores/Corneal Ulcers
- Eyelid Inflammation
- Facial Fracture
- Fainting
- Fever in Adults
- Fever in Children
- Finger Dislocation
- Finger Injuries
- Fishhook Injuries
- Food Poisoning
- Foreign Body in the Eye
- Fracture or Dislocation
- Frostbite
- Hand Injury
- Head Injury
- Head Injury in Children
- Headache
- Heart Attack
- Heart Palpatations
- Heat Exhaustion
- Heat Rash
- Heat Stroke
- Hiccups
- Hives
- Hives and Angioedema
- How to Operate an Automated External Defibrillator
- Human Bites
- Hyperventilation
- Hypothermia
- Rabies
- Rape/Sexual Assault
- Rashes
- Rectal Bleeding
- Rectal Foreign Object
- Rectal Pain
- Reflux (GERD) in Children
- Ricin Poisoning
- Ruptured Tendon
- Scratched Eye/Corneal Abrasion
- Seizure
- Seizure in Children
- Severe Allergic Reaction
- Shark Bite
- Shock
- Shock/Electrocution
- Shoulder and Neck Pain
- Shoulder Dislocation
- Shoulder Separation
- Skier's Thumb
- Slipped Disk
- Smoke Inhalation
- Snakebite
- Splinters
- Sprains and Strains
- Stingray Injury
- Stomach Ache/Nausea
- Stroke
- Stroke/TIA
- Sty
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Sunburn
- Swallowed Object
- Swollen Testicles/Orchitis
- Tailbone Injury
- Teething Pain
- Testicle Pain
- Tetanus
- Tick Removal
- Toothache
- Toxic Shock Syndrome
- Traveler's Diarrhea
- Vaginal Bleeding
- Vaginal Foreign Body
- Vertigo
- Vomiting and Nausea
- Vomiting During Pregnancy
- Vomiting/Spitting Up in Children
Today on WebMD
WebMD the app
Get first aid information. Whenever. Wherever... with your iPhone, iPad or Android.
Find Out More