Handling when children choke powder, porridge

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Phan Ngoc Hai - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
Young children with immature respiratory systems, curious about things around, often playing, running and jumping while eating or sucking on food are the cause of children choking on porridge, powder, especially when it can cause children to choke. porridge into the lungs, dangerous to life. Therefore, parents and caregivers need to know how to handle when children choke on food.

1. Causes of children choking on porridge

Children eat while playing, eating in a hurry. Children who are forced to eat, especially when they are coughing, can easily cause choking. The immature nervous system makes the reflexes not good, leading to easily choking on food.

2. Signs of a child choking on rice, porridge, or flour

When choking on flour, porridge, children often have noticeable signs such as:
Severe cough, choking. Pale skin. Legs stiffened, body convulsing. Babies can not cry, gurgle, breathless. Vomiting powder, porridge or solution.

3. How to handle when children choke on food

If the victim is still rosy, can cry, scream, speak, and is not difficult to worship: put in a sitting position to breathe, keep the child still and take him to the hospital to examine and remove the foreign body.
If victim is pale, has difficulty breathing, does not cry or cries weakly. Quickly call 911 and proceed with the procedure.
* Children under 2 years old: back patting method
Place the child on his/her stomach with the head low on the left arm, holding the head and neck first with the left hand. Use the heel of your right hand to give 5 strong pats on the back of the child between the shoulder blades. Then turn the child upside down to the right hand, if there is still difficulty breathing, cyanosis, use two left fingers to press firmly in the area 1/2 below the sternum 5 times. If the object has not come out, turn the young person over and continue patting the back. Alternate back pats and chest compressions until the object falls out of the airway or the baby cries. * Adults and older children: the Heimlich maneuver.
- The child is awake:
Stand behind the child, wrap your arms around the child's waist. Squeeze your hand into a fist and place it in the epigastrium, just below the tip of the sternum, above the navel. Hide 5 decisively from front to back and bottom to top, strong and fast. Can repeat 6-10 abdominal compressions until the object falls out of the airway or the child can cry - The child is comatose:
Put the child on his or her back, kneeling with the legs next to the victim's thighs. Place the heel of one palm on the epigastrium, under the tip of the sternum, under the tip of the sternum, and then place the second hand on top of the first. Hide 5 decisively, strongly and quickly into the abdomen in the direction from bottom to top. May repeat 6-10 abdominal compressions until the foreign body is out of the airway. Note:
If the victim is not breathing, give two slow first breaths and alternate breaths during the Heimlich maneuver or chest compressions until the patient is breathing again or crying. After getting the foreign object, or the victim can cry, still have to take the victim to a medical facility for examination. Things to avoid:
Do not intervene if the victim is still able to cough, breathe or scream or cry. Don't try to pull out the foreign object and move it if you can't see it as there is a greater chance of the foreign body falling deeper.

4. Prevention of choking in children

Feed young children age-appropriate foods. When feeding young children, it is necessary to limit playing or asking about children. Children should eat small pieces and stop when the child shows signs of coughing while eating. Children should be seated to eat, should not be fed while the child is lying down. Do not feed your baby while he is sleepy or crying. For children with anorexia, should not force children. When the child is sick and has breathing problems, be careful when feeding the child because it is easy to choke or spit or vomit. Parents need to know how to handle when children choke on food in general and powder and porridge in particular, especially with young children, because if not handled promptly, it can be life-threatening.
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