Choking
mechanical obstruction of the flow of air from the environment into the lungs
Choking happens when breathing is made difficult. It happens when the windpipe is blocked.[1]
In some cases the air flow is completely blocked, in other cases some amount of air can pass to the lungs. Insufficient oxygen being delivered to the body and more importantly the brain will result in oxygen deprivation, although oxygen stored in the blood and lungs can keep a person alive for several minutes after breathing stops.[2]
Around 4,500 to 5,000 choking-related deaths occur in the United States every year.[3][4] Deaths from choking most often occur in the very young (children under three years old) and in the elderly (adults over 75 years).[5][6]
References
change- ↑ National Safety Council. Research and Statistics Department. (2015). Injury facts (2015 ed.). Itasca, IL. ISBN 9780879123345. OCLC 910514461.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ↑ Ross, Darrell Lee; Chan, Theodore C (2006). Sudden Deaths in Custody. ISBN 978-1-59745-015-7.
- ↑ "The Heimlich Maneuver: Breaking Down the Complications". Archived from the original on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ↑ Duckett, Stephanie A.; Bartman, Marc; Roten, Ryan A. (2024), "Choking", StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID 29763116, retrieved 2024-05-22
- ↑ National Safety Council. Research and Statistics Department. Vol. Injury facts (2015ed). 2015. ISBN 9780879123345.
- ↑ "Choking on a foreign body: a physiological study of the effectiveness of abdominal thrust manoeuvres to increase thoracic pressure". BMJ.