On August 14, the Emergency Department, Lang Son Provincial General Hospital said that the unit received a 4-year-old child in a state of cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest.
According to information from the hospital, about 20 minutes before being admitted to the hospital, the child ate longan and then choked, quickly turning purple all over his body. Doctors tried to resuscitate but could not save the patient.
From the above case, the hospital warned that foreign object choking in the airway is a particularly dangerous accident in young children.
Foreign objects are usually food, fruit seeds, candy, or toy details. When stuck in the larynx or trachea, they can completely block the airway, causing the child to lack oxygen and cardiac arrest after only a few minutes.
When the child is still coughing strongly, crying, or speaking, adults should encourage the child to continue coughing, while closely monitoring. Do not pat the back or intervene strongly when the child is still effectively coughing.
Signs of severe airway obstruction include not being able to cough, speak, cry or make sounds; difficulty breathing or not being able to breathe; purple lips and skin and gradually losing consciousness. At this time, people around need to call emergency 115 and give first aid immediately.
Adults should not use their hands to hook their throats blindly because it can push the foreign object deeper, causing throat damage and making the obstruction worse. Only take the foreign object when it is clearly visible and easy to remove.
According to recommendations, for children under one year old who are still awake but cannot cough or breathe, the first aid provider places the child face down, head lower than chest and supports the head and neck firmly. Use the heel of your hand to tap 5 times into the area between the two shoulder blades, then flip the child over and perform 5 chest compressions at the lower half of the sternum.
Alternate the two movements until the foreign object pops out or the child loses consciousness. Do not press on the abdomen for children under one year old.
For children from one year old and older who are still awake, perform 5 back pats and 5 abdominal pressures alternately. When pressing the abdomen, the first aid provider stands or kneels behind, placing the fist in the position above the navel, below the sternum, the other hand hugs the fist and quickly pulls inward and upward.
Continue until the foreign object comes out or the child is unconscious. The new recommendation emphasizes alternating back pats and abdominal pressures.
If the child is unconscious, it is necessary to lie on their back on a hard flat surface, call 115 and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation, prioritizing cardiac tamponade. After each cardiac tamponade cycle, open your mouth to check; only remove the foreign object if it is clearly visible, then aspirate according to the technique instructed. Continue resuscitation until the child breathes on their own or medical staff arrives.
