The textbook has changed for the HLTH 57A class and this page is no longer being kept up-to-date.
As a check to see if you understood the chapter four material
and as a review for possible questions on the final,
AFTER you read the chapter, try to see if you can answer these questions:
“What are some risk factors for choking?”
“What foods and objects can be choking hazards for children younger than 4 years?”
“What are some common causes of breathing emergencies?”
Give yourself a moment to think about each question, then scroll down past these photos to find the correct answers.
Here are the questions with the answers:
“What are some risk factors for choking?”
Eating while talking or laughing, or eating too fast
Medical conditions, such as neurological or muscular disorders that affect the person’s ability to chew and swallow
Dental problems or poorly fitting dentures that affect the person’s ability to
chew food properly
“What foods and objects can be choking hazards for children younger than 4 years?”
Small foods, such as nuts, seeds and popcorn
Round, firm foods, such as hot dogs, grapes and hard candies
Sticky foods, such as peanut butter, chewing gum and gummy candies
Large foods that break easily into small pieces, such as teething biscuits and cookies
Chunked foods, such as fruit, raw vegetables, and meat or cheese
Small, round objects such as coins, buttons, button batteries, magnets, beads and vitamins
Small metal or plastic items such as toys, jewelry, safety pins, pen or marker caps and the pull tabs from soda cans
Plastic bags and deflated or broken balloons
Baby powder
“What are some common causes of breathing emergencies?”
Choking
A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
An acute flare-up of a chronic respiratory condition, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Cardiac conditions, such as heart failure or heart attack
A respiratory infection, such as pneumonia or bronchitis
Emotional distress
Drug overdose
Poisoning
Trauma to the head, chest, lungs or abdomen
Drowning
These are optional for you to read, frequently asked questions:
“What if I am alone and choking?”
Call 9-1-1 or the designated emergency number, even if you cannot speak, and do not hang
up the phone. You an give yourself abdominal thrusts. Bend over a firm object, such as the
back of a chair or a railing, and press your abdomen against it. Avoid a sharp edge or corner
that might hurt you.
“Why should I give a combination of back blows and abdominal thrusts to an adult or child who is choking?”
Based on the 2010 Consensus on Science for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care, a combination of back blows and abdominal thrusts is more effective in clearing an obstructed airway than a single technique.
(In some other countries, only one of these is used.)
“ What if the choking person is pregnant, too large to reach around or in a
wheelchair and cannot stand?”
If a person is pregnant, too large for you to stand behind and reach around or in a wheelchair,
give chest thrusts. To give chest thrusts, make a fist with one hand, grab your fist with the
other hand, place the thumb side of your fist on the center of the person’s breastbone and give
quick thrusts into the chest.