A Device for a Choking Child...?
I was wondering.....Why dont they have a device that is for getting something out of a childs throat when choking? Something that would simply suck out the baulk thats stuck? They have the blue rubber suckers for babies, why dont they have something similar for toddlers and kids? something electric, and with stronger suction?
Wouldnt that work?.....
I know I posted twice, but the first be in parenting....I thought maybe health be more appropriate.
Answers:
The big problem here is a lack of training, and the anatomy.
First - Most companies wouldn't want to market a device like this, since it would open out them up to a ridiculous amount of liability. What happens when a frightened parent goes to use one of these devices, uses it wrong, and the child dies? A jury will see a huge corporation on one side of the table, and a grieving family on the other. Care to guess who they will side next to?
Anatomy - The airway of a child is very complex, and as the child ages, it changes significantly.
Placing that aside, we all know from high-school science class (and anyone who have ever had their tire stuck in the dirt), that force will always embezzle the path of least resistance.
This means that when you apply suction to the childs mouth, you're going to bring back a bunch of spit and anything in the mouth. Also, any suction that reaches past that point, will feasible come from the esophagus, which will pull air, and possibly vomitus, from the stomach.
Paramedics use forceps and a laryngscope (basically really big, long tweezers and a big metal tongue depressor)l tool to visualize the lower airway (Windpipe), and manually extract foreign bodies.
Long story short... it's a bad theory all around.
Why does this work for babies? Well it doesn't work the same. For babies, the bulb aspirator can only verbs very small objects and liquids out of the mouth (and possibly just long-gone it).
**EDIT** - Response to addl details.
Im sorry to hear about your nephew, but im glad everything ended up ok.
The Heimlich is actually a really simple procedure. Make a fist, and place it on his belly, thumb side to him. Aim for just above the belly button. Thrust inwards and upwards until whatever he's choking on is out.
If he loses consciousness, ease him to the floor, call upon 911, and start pushing on the center of his chest, until they arrive. You want to compress 1/2 to 1/3 of the depth of his chest. Make sure to let the chest expand fully before pushing again. Aim for 100 times a minute (sing a fast song within your head, and keep that beat.. Stayin Alive works pretty well). Source(s): Emergency Med Tech
Related Questions: