How to Help Someone Who Is Choking

Mild choking: encourage them to keep coughing. Severe choking: up to 5 back blows then up to 5 abdominal thrusts, checking after each one, and call 999 after the first full cycle. If they collapse, start CPR.

Recognise how bad it is

A mild airway obstruction looks panicked but they can still cough and just about speak, often clutching at their throat. A severe obstruction means they can barely speak or not at all, the cough is becoming ineffective, and their lips may show a blue tinge (cyanosis) as oxygen stops getting through.

Mild choking

1
Ask them: are you choking?
It confirms the problem and tells you how bad it is. If they can answer, the airway is not fully blocked.
2
Encourage them to keep coughing.
A strong cough is the most effective way to clear the object. Stay with them.

Severe choking: back blows and abdominal thrusts

1
Give up to 5 back blows.
Stand to their side, support their chest with one arm across it, lean them forward, and strike firmly between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. Check the mouth after every blow.
2
Give up to 5 abdominal thrusts.
Stand behind them. Find the point between the belly button and the bottom of the breastbone. Make a fist, grasp it with the other hand, lean them forward and pull sharply inwards and upwards into the diaphragm. Check after each thrust.
3
After one full cycle, call 999.
5 back blows plus 5 thrusts is one cycle. Get an ambulance coming, then repeat the cycles.
4
If they collapse, start CPR.
Cushion their fall if you can, protecting the head, but do not take their weight. Then go straight into 30 compressions to 2 breaths, checking the mouth before each set of breaths and removing anything you can see.

After the object comes out

If you used abdominal thrusts, the casualty goes to hospital even if they feel fine: the force can cause internal damage that needs checking.

Ask "are you choking?" first
Check the mouth after every back blow and every thrust
Send them to hospital after any abdominal thrusts

Don't

Do not slap a mildly choking casualty on the back: let the cough work
Do not sweep a finger blindly around the mouth
Do not give up: continue cycles until help arrives

Common questions

How many back blows and abdominal thrusts do you give?

Up to 5 back blows between the shoulder blades, checking after each, then up to 5 abdominal thrusts, checking after each. That is one cycle. Call 999 after the first cycle and keep going.

What if the choking person becomes unconscious?

Protect their head as they fall if you can, then start CPR immediately with 30 compressions to 2 breaths. Look in the mouth before each set of breaths and remove anything you can see.

Why does someone need hospital after abdominal thrusts?

The upward force into the diaphragm can injure internal organs. They need to be checked even if they seem completely recovered.

Go beyond reading

Skills stick when you practise them

A certified course puts these skills in your hands: real CPR practice, real feedback, a recognised certificate for work. One-day Emergency First Aid at Work courses run across the UK.

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First Aid Guru guides support learning and refreshing your knowledge. They are not a substitute for regulated, hands-on first aid training or for professional medical advice. In an emergency call 999 (UK) and follow the call handler's instructions.