Can Someone Die Because of Choking?

Medical Video: CHOKING TO DEATH!

One Hollywood actor known through a number of famous films such as Star Wars, Gordon Drewe Henley, died in January 2016. As reported by several media outlets, Henley died after choking after enjoying his lunch. If you do a search on the Google search engine, maybe you will also find that Wikipedia has even made a list of several characters who have died because of choking.

How can choking cause death?

Choking occurs because of the closed airway at the top of the vent. The thing that inhibits breathing can be food or other objects. People who choke are usually characterized by coughing and difficulty breathing.

In other words, choking is an emergency that requires immediate action. This is because breathing is an important activity. The oxygen we breathe through breathing activity is very much needed by the body to:

Fuel source in making energy from the food we consume
The human brain really needs oxygen. Thus, the absence of oxygen to the brain can cause death in 4 to 6 minutes. In other words, the presence of choking can cause death.

Why can someone choke?

At the back of our mouth, there are 2 directions; esophagus (organ that leads to the stomach) and trachea (the entrance to oxygen, before oxygen finally enters the lungs). Even so, there are a number of things that cause a person to choke, including:

In adults, choking is often caused because food is not well chewed, talking or even laughing while eating, consuming alcohol or drugs, and suffering from diseases such as Parkinson's, which can slow a person to swallow food.
In children, choking is usually caused by putting too much food into the mouth in one meal, and several other causes similar to those in adults. Children also sometimes still like to put non-food items into their mouths.

How to deal with choking?

Do not give someone who chokes on any drink, because the liquid that enters will actually further inhibit the passage of air.
Ask first if he is choking. If he is still able to answer, you can only accompany him. But if he is unable to answer or just nod, he should give him further help.
Next aid can be done by giving first aid: stand behind the person, make a fist in your hand, wrap your arm around the person's body and press your fist to move upwards in the person's stomach, like prying. Do it with fast movements.
If the foreign object does not also come out, immediately rush him to the nearest hospital.

Artificial breathing can be given if the victim is unconscious. While pat on the back can be given if the victim is still a child.

READ ALSO: