Question

Your pediatric patient choked on a small toy piece. He is conscious and crying, but has labored breathing and stridor. You should__________

1) Perform the Heimlich maneuver
2) Administer CPR
3) Encourage the child to cough forcefully
4) Call emergency services

Answer 1

Encourage a choking child who can cough and cry to cough forcefully. If unsuccessful, use back slaps, then the Heimlich maneuver, and call emergency services if necessary. Hence, option (1), (3) and (4) are correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a pediatric patient is conscious and exhibiting signs of choking, such as labored breathing and stridor but is still able to cry, you should first encourage the child to cough forcefully. Coughing can help dislodge the object. If the child is unable to cough or the situation worsens, you would then proceed to give a few hard back slaps. If these initial steps are not successful in removing the obstruction, the next step would be to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

Remember to call emergency services if the child's condition does not improve or if you are unable to remove the obstruction. It's also important to note that infants require a different approach; one should turn the infant upside down and gently slap their back to dislodge an object.