CPR & Choking: Why You Need a LifeVac

 

When someone is choking with a completely blocked airway, oxygen cannot reach the lungs. Because the brain is extremely sensitive to the lack of oxygen, brain damage can occur in as little as 4 to 6 minutes. During these first few minutes, first aid must take place to save a person’s life.

 

First aid classes teach us how to do the Heimlich maneuver if an individual is choking, or how to perform back blows to a choking infant or toddler to dislodge any food or item blocking their airway. However, many questions that may be unanswered come into play when thinking about choking emergency preparation.

 

What if you are not strong enough to perform the Heimlich maneuver on the person choking or what if your arms don’t fit around their circumference? Or what if the person choking is in a wheelchair or pregnant? What if you are simply doing everything you can and they are still choking? A LifeVac can help save the victim from choking when all else fails.

 

What is a LifeVac?

A LifeVac is a non-invasive, non-powered, portable Airway Clearance Device (ACD) that removes objects like food or toys from a victim with airway obstruction. This device is an alternative to when the traditional Heimlich maneuver fails to expel the object.

The LifeVac has been designed with a patented one-way valve that prevents air from pushing the object or food downward. This creates a one-way suction to remove the obstruction and clear the airway of the victim. The negative pressure generated by the force of the suction is 3 times greater than the highest recorded choke pressure.

 

When Should You Perform CPR?

If your LifeVac is not near you or is not expelling the object, CPR can be used as an alternative lifesaving method for an unconscious individual. CPR used on an unresponsive choking victim can help expel foreign objects from the victim’s airways using chest compressions.

 

For a choking victim, the general CPR steps are as followed:

1. Place the heel of one hand on the breastbone and place the heel of the other hand on top of the first hand (be sure to position your body directly over your hands)
2. Press chest quickly at the rate of 100-120 compressions per minute
3. Alternate chest compressions with rescue breaths

 

 

Choking incidents happen every single day and if you run across someone choking at some point in your life, the choice to be prepared during that moment is up to you. Don’t wait to invest in a LifeVac or understand the importance of knowing how to perform CPR. Purchase your LifeVac and CPR courses from AED Superstore today.

 

DISCLAIMER: Information and resources found on the AED Superstore website/blog is intended to educate, inform, and motivate readers to make their health and wellness decisions after consulting with their healthcare provider. The authors are not healthcare providers. No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition.