Save a Life: Essential Choking Relief Techniques for Infants & Adults Event Recap

The Department of Emergency Medicine hosted our Save a Life – Infant & Adult Choking Relief Techniques event, where attendees learned crucial life-saving techniques to assist in choking emergencies for both infants and adults.

EM’s Jasmine Ginn, MD and Gowri Stevens, MD, led the session, equipping participants with the knowledge and skills to respond confidently in urgent situations.

Dr. Ginn, an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, emphasized that “Anyone can help during a choking event. Our goal is to ensure that you are prepared and trained on what to do in that circumstance. Start by asking someone to call 911 while you promptly provide assistance.”

Key techniques shared during the event included:

For Adults

Dr. Ginn demonstrated how to perform the Heimlich maneuver, including positioning yourself behind the person, making a fist between their belly button and ribs, and applying inward and upward pressure to help dislodge the obstruction.\

For added force, participants were encouraged to use a stable object like a chair or table edge.

For infants

Dr. Stevens, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist, shared steps for choking relief in infants, such as checking the mouth for visible blockages and delivering five firm back blows while positioning the infant face down on your knee or across your forearm.

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in this valuable session. It was a great opportunity for our UTH community to learn and practice life-saving techniques that can make a real difference in emergency situations.

Be on the lookout for more Save a Life events coming your way!

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