Question

You are responding to a shout for help from outpatient services. as you approach, you find a distraught teen holding a pale, 2-month-old infant. "i was feeding him. he started choking. oh please - please - help him." the scene is safe. you have taken standard precautions. the responsive infant is coughing weakly and making a whistling sound when inhaling. you have activated your facility’s eap. what should you do now?

Answer 1

In a medical scenario where an infant is choking, first encourage the infant to cough, then administer back slaps. If that doesn't work, perform chest thrusts, and if the infant becomes unresponsive, begin CPR and continue to check for the obstruction until emergency services arrive.

Step-by-step explanation:

You are faced with a situation where an infant is choking and needs immediate assistance. Since the infant is coughing weakly and making a whistling sound when inhaling, it's evident that the airway is not completely blocked, but there is partial obstruction. First, it's imperative to encourage the infant to cough, as this might be enough to clear the blockage. If coughing doesn't work, you should deliver back slaps to the infant. To do this safely, hold the infant face down on your forearm with their head lower than their body and use the heel of your hand to give up to 5 firm back slaps between the infant's shoulder blades. If the obstruction does not clear after these back slaps, you will need to perform chest thrusts. Turn the infant over so that they are facing upwards, and using two fingers, give up to 5 quick downward chest thrusts. Alternate between the 5 back slaps and 5 chest thrusts until the obstruction is cleared or emergency medical services arrive.

If at any point the infant becomes unresponsive, commence CPR and continue to check for the obstruction. Continually assess the situation and provide care as necessary until help arrives.