Choking in an unconscious infant may occur when the upper airway, usually the throat or windpipe, is blocked by an object or irritation. An infant is a child under 1 year of age.
Signs and symptoms of choking in an unconscious infant include: lack of breathinginability to move air in and out of the lungs, even with assistance
Choking is usually caused by objects that the infant has placed in his or her mouth. These include toys, candy, popcorn, hot dogs, nuts, batteries, rocks, and buttons. Things that wrap around the neck and constrict it, such as strings or rope, can also cause choking.
Some cases of choking can be avoided by: giving infants only age-appropriate toysavoiding toys that break easily, have small parts, or have batterieskeeping foods such as popcorn, hot dogs, nuts, hard candy and seeds away from infantskeeping buttons, watch batteries, coins, rocks, and any other small household items away from infantskeeping strings and ropes away from infants. Never tie a pacifier with string to a baby's clothing. The string could get wrapped around the baby's neck.
An infant who is unconscious due to choking will be unresponsive. The rescuer will be unable to push air into the lungs with mouth-to-mouth breathing. Bystanders may report an episode of choking, followed by unconsciousness.
First aid for an unconscious infant who has choked includes: checking for signs of circulation, such as normal breathing, coughing, or movement in response to stimulationStart cardiopulmonay resuscitation, or CPR, if the infant is not breathing or you cannot feel a pulseRemember "Call, Blow, Pump":check the infant for unresponsiveness. If there is no response, Call or have someone call 911 and return to the infantin most locations the emergency deispatcher can assist you with CPR instructionsopen the infant's mouth by grasping the tongue and lower jaw between your thumb and fingers and lifting. Only if you see the object should you gently sweep your index finger in a hooking motion deeply into the infant's mouth to remove it.tilt the head back and listen for breathing. If not breathing normally cover the infant's mouth and nose with your mouthblow until you see the chest rise. Give 2 breaths. Each breath should take 1 second.If the infant is still not breathing normally, coughing or moving, begin chest compressions. Push down on the chest using your pointer and middle finger. Use 5 chest compressions for every 1 mouth-to-mouth rescue breath.place the infant in a side-lying position if he or she starts breathing and monitor closelystay with the infant until medical help arrivesdo not let the infant eat or drink anything
The chest compressions of CPR can cause vomiting, injuries to internal organs, or broken ribs. Vomiting can be a problem if the vomit is caught in the airway and inhaled into the lungs. None of the procedures may work, and the infant may still choke, remain unconscious, or possibly die.
Anytime an infant chokes, medical attention should be sought, even if the object has been dislodged and the infant is breathing normally. A piece of the object, or another one, may have been inhaled into the lung. This can cause wheezing, persistent cough, or pneumonia.
