Choking occurs when a person’s airway is blocked and if not treated quickly and effectively, can cause long term damage or become life threatening. If you see someone showing signs of choking, you should act quickly to unblock their airway.
If the person choking is in a wheelchair, this shouldn’t distract you from unblocking the airway. Usually you would have access to the casualty’s back and be able to easily manoeuvre them into the position needed, however if the person choking is a wheelchair, the necessary positions are more difficult to achieve. This guide will take you through the steps of treating a choking wheelchair user.
If you are around when a wheelchair user is choking, unblocking their airway is priority. The first step you should always take should be encouraging the choking victim to cough. If they can’t, then you should perform the following first aid procedures:
You may have dislodged the obstruction whilst performing the above techniques, so remember to check the casualty’s mouth and see if you can remove it. However, if you still haven’t stopped the wheelchair user from choking, you should repeat steps 2 and 3 a further 3 times.
If, after repeating the back slaps and chest thrusts, the victim is still choking, you should stay with the victim whilst another person at the scene phones for an ambulance. However, if you are on your own you should phone the ambulance and return to the casualty immediately to begin the back slaps and chest thrusts again.