What should I do if I’m choking?

Choking from eating or drinking usually means that food is blocking the esophagus. The symptoms and hazards depend on where the food is choking. Immediate measures should be taken to prevent the patient from having an accident. If the patient is conscious, he/she can drink water, take deep breaths, cough to spit out the choking substance, or pat his/her back and vibrate to help spit out the choking substance and improve the symptoms of throat obstruction, and if necessary, he/she should go to the hospital actively to have the choking substance taken out by the doctor. If improper measures are taken after choking occurs, resulting in the patient’s throat being obstructed for a longer period of time, breathing may be affected, or even sudden death may occur. If throat obstruction occurs, mild cases can be improved by patting the back, coughing, and deep breathing. For severe cases, consider airway obstruction, the Heimlich method to release the obstruction. Ineffective timely consultation, the professional doctor to remove the choking material, to ensure that the patient’s breathing is clear, to avoid life-threatening. For loss of consciousness, cardiopulmonary resuscitation is necessary after determining respiratory circulation.