<span>How would you know if an adult, child, or infant is choking?
</span>Mild choking: encourage them to cough
If the airway is only partly blocked, the person will usually be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe. They will usually be able to clear the blockage themselves.
To help with mild choking in an adult or child over one year old:
<span>Encourage the person to keep coughing to try and clear the blockage.<span>Ask the person to try to spit out the object if it's in their mouth.
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Where choking is severe, the person will not be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe. Without help, they will eventually become unconscious.
To help an adult or child over one year old:
<span>Stand behind the person and slightly to one side. Support their chest with one hand. Lean the person forward so that the object blocking their airway will come out of their mouth, rather than moving further down.Give up to five sharp blows between the person's shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. (The heel is between the palm of your hand and your wrist).Check if the blockage has cleared.If not, give up to five abdominal thrusts.</span>
Important: Don't give abdominal thrusts to babies under one year old or to pregnant women.
<span>If the person's airway is still blocked after trying back blows and abdominal thrusts, get help immediately</span>
