'This is not an easy image to look at': Terrifying photo that could save a child's life
By Nikolina Koevska Kharoufeh |
It's a situation no parent wants to find themselves - their child choking.
An Australian child safety and first-aid organisation has released a confronting photo to show parents just how easily an object can get stuck in a child's throat.
"This is not an easy image to look at, I know. But it is an important reminder about the reality of choking in little ones," the caption of the Tiny Hearts Australia Instagram post reads.
The photo shows a peanut lodged in a child's airway. A three-year-old who 'heartbreakingly', did not survive.
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Taking a closer look at the image, we can see a set of lungs and a trachea, which is the main airway that runs from the voice box to the lungs.
Right in the bottom of the airway, the point at which it splits towards the lungs, you can see half a peanut stuck.
The peanut had travelled all the way down the tube and wasn't able to come back out.
"Little ones don't have their full set of teeth and a mature chew yet, which is why I've made it a rule for my own family 'No whole nuts for a child under five," founder of Tiny Hearts and former paramedic Nikki Jurcutz shared.
The aim of the distressing photo is to ensure parents enrol in a first aid course, and educate themselves on unsafe foods that pose a choking hazard for small kids.
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"If your child begins to choke, you have seconds to initiate treatment and get an ambulance on the way just in case it doesn't work," they stated.
Alongside nuts, the first-aid team also listed a number of other foods and items that are common causes of choking.
- Raw fruits and vegetables?
- Sausages and chunks of meat?
- Nuts, seeds, popcorn kernels and fruit pips?
- Hard lollies, marshmallows and chewing gum?
- Small objects such as marbles, coins and pen lids?
- Batteries?
Parents were thankful for the information and for the reminder to ensure they are up-to-date in their first aid.
"Good and scary reminder," one person wrote on the post. "I can't even imagine the horror."?
"I know this page has such important information but I just find every single post so triggering," commented another parent.
A third said: "This is my worst fear. The poor baby and the poor family.?"
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What to do if your child starts choking
Here is a guide to choking from Tiny Hearts Education
Partial Obstruction:
If your child has an effective cough, use gravity and lean them forward. Encourage them to keep coughing. If the obstruction cannot be cleared you must call 000. If they lose their forceful cough use the next technique for a complete obstruction.
Complete Obstruction:
If your child does not have an effective cough you should:
Call 000. Place your child in a head down position จC infant (under 1 year old) across your lap and child (1 จC 8 years old) sitting or standing up Give up to five back blows using the heel of one hand, in between the shoulder blades. Short and sharp. Check the airway between each back blow to see if the obstruction has cleared.
If your child is still choking:
Give up to five chest thrusts using two fingers (one hand for a child), in the middle of the chest between the nipples. Short and sharp. Check the airway between each chest thrust to see if the obstruction has cleared.
If your child is still choking:
Alternate between five back blows and five chest thrusts until the obstruction is cleared (checking the airway to see if it has cleared in between each back blow or chest thrust), paramedics arrive, or until they render unconscious. If they render unconscious you must start CPR.
Note: The obstruction may clear during CPR compressions. If this occurs roll your child on their side and clear the mouth of the foreign object.
To book a Baby and Child First Aid course go to Tiny Hearts Education or CPR Kids. ?
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