If someone is choking and can’t speak, stand behind them and perform 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts; if they collapse, start CPR immediately.
First, ask, “Are you choking? Can you speak?” If the person can still cough forcefully or make a sound, do not intervene — coughing is the most effective way to dislodge the object. If they cannot speak, stand behind them and give 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts, repeating this sequence until the object comes out or the person loses consciousness. Once they collapse, begin CPR at once and call emergency services. For pregnant individuals or very obese people, perform chest thrusts instead. Never reach into the mouth to try to remove an object you cannot see.
No cost involved. To perform the technique: make a fist wi…
According to the original text from the U.S. National Library of Medicine: first ask, “Are you choking? Can yo…
No cost involved. To perform the technique: make a fist with one hand and place it just above the navel, then wrap the other hand around it and deliver quick inward and upward thrusts.
According to the original text from the U.S. National Library of Medicine: first ask, “Are you choking? Can you speak?” It states that “if the person can cough forcefully or speak, do not intervene,” since coughing often dislodges the object on its own. If they cannot speak, “repeatedly perform 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts until the object is expelled or the person loses consciousness.” “Once unconsciousness occurs, start CPR at once” while calling emergency services. Chest thrusts should be used for pregnant individuals and obese people.
US National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. Choking – adult or child over 1 year. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000047.htm；福州市卫生健康委员会 (2026). 海姆立克急救法更新了：「1岁以上幼儿、儿童及成人：从旧版单一腹部冲击改为"5次背部拍击+5次腹部冲击"的循环」「中国红十字系统急救培训一直都是按"5次背部拍击+5次腹部冲击"循环进行的方式进行教学」. https://www.fuzhou.gov.cn/zgfzzt/swjw/fzwj/jkkp/202601/t20260108_5268351.htm
Open source linkDo not put your hands in your mouth to fish for something you cannot see, as you may push it deeper. Do not slap someone who is still able to cough. Choking most commonly occurs at the family dinner table, and the primary victims are family members. The teaching method used in China is the same: according to the Fujian Red Cross Emergency First Aid Training Center, for children and adults over 1 years old, the China Red Cross system has always taught a cycle of 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts. Many old tutorials online only teach abdominal thrusts, which is an outdated version.