Foreign Body Airway Obstruction

Foreign Body Airway Obstruction (FBAO) may cause mild or severe airway obstruction. When the airway obstruction is mild, the child can cough and make some sounds. When the airway obstruction is severe, the victim cannot cough or make any sound.
● If FBAO is mild, do not interfere. Allow the victim to clear the airway by coughing while you observe for signs of severe FBAO.
● If the FBAO is severe (ie, the victim is unable to make a sound):
— For a child, perform subdiaphragmatic abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) until the object is expelled or the victim becomes unresponsive. For an infant, deliver 5 back blows (slaps) followed by 5 chest thrusts repeatedly until the object is expelled or the victim becomes unresponsive. Abdominal thrusts are not recommended for infants because they may damage the relatively large and unprotected liver.
— If the victim becomes unresponsive, lay rescuers and healthcare providers should perform CPR but should look into the mouth before giving breaths. If you see a foreign body, remove it. Healthcare providers should not perform blind finger sweeps because they may push obstructing objects further into the pharynx and may damage the oropharynx. Healthcare providers should attempt to remove an object only if they can see it in the pharynx. Then rescuers should attempt ventilation and follow with chest compressions.