CPR Airway Obstruction and Choking 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the universal sign that a person is choking?
- Coughing loudly
- Clutching the throat with both hands (Correct answer)
- Rubbing the stomach
- Tapping the chest once
Correct answer: Clutching the throat with both hands
Clutching the throat with one or both hands is the recognized universal choking sign.
Question 2: A choking adult is coughing forcefully. What should you do first?
- Begin abdominal thrusts immediately
- Encourage them to keep coughing (Correct answer)
- Start chest compressions
- Perform a blind finger sweep
Correct answer: Encourage them to keep coughing
Forceful coughing indicates a mild obstruction, so encourage continued coughing rather than intervening.
Question 3: Where do you position your fist for abdominal thrusts on a choking adult?
- On the breastbone
- Just below the rib cage and above the navel (Correct answer)
- Directly over the navel
- On the lower abdomen
Correct answer: Just below the rib cage and above the navel
The fist is placed slightly above the navel and below the xiphoid process for abdominal thrusts.
Question 4: What indicates that a choking person now has a severe (complete) airway obstruction?
- Loud wheezing
- Inability to speak, cough, or breathe (Correct answer)
- Forceful coughing
- Crying loudly
Correct answer: Inability to speak, cough, or breathe
Inability to speak, cough, or breathe signals a complete airway obstruction requiring immediate action.
Question 5: What should you do if a choking adult becomes unresponsive?
- Continue abdominal thrusts standing
- Lower them to the ground and begin CPR (Correct answer)
- Give them water
- Slap their back repeatedly
Correct answer: Lower them to the ground and begin CPR
An unresponsive choking victim should be lowered to the ground and CPR started, checking the mouth for the object before breaths.
Question 6: Why are blind finger sweeps no longer recommended?
- They take too long
- They can push the object deeper (Correct answer)
- They are illegal
- They cause infection
Correct answer: They can push the object deeper
Blind finger sweeps may push the object further into the airway and worsen the obstruction.
Question 7: How should you treat a choking pregnant woman or obese adult?
- Abdominal thrusts only
- Chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts (Correct answer)
- Back slaps only
- No intervention
Correct answer: Chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts
Chest thrusts replace abdominal thrusts when the abdomen cannot be effectively reached, as in pregnancy or obesity.
CPR Airway Obstruction and Choking 2
What is the universal sign that a person is choking?