You’re having a great time with your friend, who’s pregnant. Suddenly, they start choking on a piece of food. What do you do?
You’ve heard of the Heimlich Maneuver, but it is challenging to perform it on a pregnant person. Are there any alternatives?
Sure there are, but even if everything else fails, LifeVac will work! LifeVac is a simple and fast way to help someone who is choking. It’s quick, easy, and safe for everyone involved-including the baby.
But let’s see how you should react if a pregnant person is choking, in a step-by-step guide.
1. Follow the Standard Choking Protocol
Firstly, we should follow the Standard Choking Protocol. The Standard Choking Protocol involves abdominal thrusts (aka the Heimlich Maneuver).
But have you ever seen how the Heimlich Maneuver works? You have to wrap your arms around their waist and press into the stomach with a quick, upward thrust five times. It sounds scary and dangerous to perform it on a pregnant person, doesn’t it?
So what should you do instead?
A safe alternative to the commonly known Heimlich Maneuver is chest thrusts. They do not involve any forceful pressure on the stomach. Thus, they are completely safe for the baby.
How to give chest thrusts if a pregnant person is choking
Here’s what you should do, according to the Mayo Clinic:
- Place your hands at the base of their breastbone, just above the joining of the lowest ribs.
- Press hard into the chest with a quick thrust.
- Repeat until the blockage is removed from the airway.
2. Call 112
In some cases, chest thrusts might not be effective. If the person still cannot breathe, you should immediately call 112, which is the international emergency number.
3. Use LifeVac if a pregnant person is choking
If the Heimlich Maneuver doesn’t work, immediately after you make the call use the anti-choking rescue device, LifeVac. It is a non-powered single-patient portable suction device developed for clearing an upper airway, intended to be used in an emergency when the standard choking protocol has been followed without success.
LifeVac is FDA Registered, MHRA Registered as a class 1 medical device and CE marked, and is completely safe to be used for anyone who weighs over 10kg, including pregnant people.
Do I need to be a doctor, an emergency responder, or any kind of medical professional to use LifeVac effectively and safely?
No, you don’t need to be a healthcare professional, in order to use the LifeVac device, even if you haven’t used it again in the past.
How can I use LifeVac?
The device has been designed to be used by anyone. It removes obstruction from the airway of the victim quickly and easily, in 3 moves:
- Place the device over the nose and the mouth.
- Push the handle.
- Pull the handle.
Repeat these steps until the blockage is removed, or up to 5 times. Simple as that.
Get your own miracle medical device now!
If you or your significant other is pregnant, this is your sign to be proactive and get a LifeVac device. Choking incidents are more common than we may think, and pregnant people are considered a high-risk population, according to Eurostat.
To learn everything about LifeVac, the medical device that has saved more than 700 lives, visit our website.
