If someone is choking and can't speak, for anyone aged 1 or over stand behind them and give 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts, and if they collapse, start CPR
- Top value
- Evidence B
- Buys life
- Free
- Takes minutes
- No willpower
In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.
In plain words
First ask "are you choking, can you speak?" If they can still cough and make sound, let them cough on their own. If someone aged 1 or over can't speak, stand behind them and give 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts, repeating until the object comes out or the person collapses. If they collapse, start CPR and have someone call the emergency number at the same time. For pregnant women and very heavy people, thrust on the chest instead. Don't put your fingers in the mouth to dig for something you can't see.
- Cost
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Free. Learn the move from one viewing: make a fist with one hand above the navel, wrap the other hand around it, and thrust quickly inward and upward.
- What you get
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Original text from the U.S. National Library of Medicine: first ask "are you choking, can you speak?" "Do nothing if they can cough hard or speak," since coughing itself often brings the object out. If they can't speak, "repeat 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts until the object comes out or the person loses consciousness." "If they lose consciousness, begin CPR," and have someone call the emergency number at the same time. For pregnant women and obese people, do chest thrusts instead
- Notes
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Don't reach into the mouth for something you can't see, because it may push it deeper. Don't hit the back of someone who can still cough. Choking most often happens at your own dining table, and those who benefit are mainly the people at home. The teaching in China is the same: the Fujian Red Cross emergency first-aid training center (福建省红十字应急救护培训中心) says that for children aged 1 and over and for adults, the Red Cross system in China has always taught a cycle of 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts. Many old tutorials online teach only abdominal thrusts, and that is the old version. For a child under 1 year old, don't press the belly; press the chest instead, see §13.43 (choking infant).
- Evidence grade
- B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
- Sources
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- US National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. Choking – adult or child over 1 year. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000047.htm
- 福州市卫生健康委员会 (2026). 海姆立克急救法更新了：「1岁以上幼儿、儿童及成人：从旧版单一腹部冲击改为"5次背部拍击+5次腹部冲击"的循环」「中国红十字系统急救培训一直都是按"5次背部拍击+5次腹部冲击"循环进行的方式进行教学」. https://www.fuzhou.gov.cn/zgfzzt/swjw/fzwj/jkkp/202601/t20260108_5268351.htm
Mentioned in
- If a baby under 1 year old is choking and can't cry, lay the baby face down and give 5 back blows, turn the baby over and give 5 chest pushes, alternating, and don't press the belly
- If a child has severe eczema or an egg allergy, don't avoid peanuts: add them early as the doctor directs, but never give whole peanuts
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 26. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer