There were around 5,500 choking deaths in the US in 2022, research shows , with the elderly and young children being most at risk. Now, an Ohio-based ear, nose and throat surgeon is sharing exactly what to do if you’re alone and start to choke while eating.
Five-time Olympic cyclist Daniela Larreal Chirinos was reportedly found dead days after she failed to show up to her hotel job in Las Vegas. Getty Images
“Save this post right now, because it may come in handy if, God forbid, you ever find yourself in that situation,” Dr. Tonia L. Farmer, who goes by Dr. Nose Best, said in a TikTok this week with more than 4.5 million views.
She advises calling 911, coughing really hard and performing the Heimlich maneuver on yourself.
Tragic story that just came out about Venezuelan cyclist Daniela Larreal Chirinos. She choked on food and was found 💀 in her apartment after her co-workers became worried when she didn’t show up to work. Between 4,000-5,000 people 💀 from choking per year. If you’re alone and start choking, it can be very scary. Knowing what to do will help you act fast. In the video, I show you the steps to take to save your life. These are the steps: 1. Call 912 2. Cough very hard 3. Do the Heimlich Maneuver 4. Seek medical attention immediately Let me know in the comments if this info was helpful👍🏾 #drnosebest #heimlich #earnosethroat
“Even if you cannot talk, I still want you to call 911,” Farmer advised. “Put that phone down, keep that line open. The operator is going to know that you need help, and they’re going to send help.”
Cough as hard as you can
“If you can talk or you can cough, that means that there is not a complete obstruction, and some air is still moving,” Farmer explained. “So try to cough as hard as you can and see if you can get that food to fly out.”
Dr. Tonia L. Farmer demonstrates how to thrust your abdomen against a countertop if you find yourself choking on food. Tiktok / drnosebest
“If that doesn’t work, if you can’t cough at all, no air is moving, you’re going to perform the Heimlich maneuver just like you would on somebody else,” Farmer said. “And there’s two ways that you can do that.”
The first is by thrusting your abdomen onto a chair or against a countertop to try to expel the food.
“You want to make sure that the chair that you are using does not have any sharp edges because you don’t want to cut into your abdomen,” Farmer added. “You don’t want to cause any internal injury.”
If that doesn’t work, make a fist and thrust it into the middle of your abdomen, underneath the rib cage, just like you would on someone else, Farmer said.
If a countertop or chair doesn’t work, try making a fist and shoving it into the middle of your abdomen to dislodge the food. Tiktok / drnosebest
She advises seeking medical help even if you successfully dislodged the food.
“You can call 911 again, if they didn’t come already. You can now call a family member or a friend to help you,” Farmer counseled. “But you want to get to the hospital, you want to seek medical help, because there could be some damage or injury in your throat, or even [to] your internal organs and abdomen, depending on how hard you had to thrust.”
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