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Conditions:
You see a conscious casualty who is having a
hard time breathing because something is
stuck in his throat.
Standards:
Cleared the object from the casualty’s
throat.
Gave abdominal or chest thrusts until
the casualty could talk and breathe
normally, the soldier was relieved by a
qualified person, or the casualty became
unconscious requiring mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation.
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Performance
Steps
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1. Determine if the casualty needs help.
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a.
If the casualty has good
air exchange (able to speak or cough
forcefully-may be wheezing between
coughs), do not interfere except to
encourage the casualty.
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b.
If the casualty has poor
air exchange (weak coughing with
high-pitched noise between coughs
and signs of shock), continue with
step 2.
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c.
If the casualty has a
complete airway obstruction (cannot
speak, breathe, or cough at all and
may be clutching his neck and moving
erratically), continue with step 2.
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2. Perform abdominal or chest thrusts.
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Note. Abdominal
thrusts should be used unless the
victim is in the advanced stages of
pregnancy, is very obese, or has a
significant abdominal wound.
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a.
Abdominal thrusts.
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(1)
Stand behind the
casualty.
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(2)
Wrap your arms around
the casualty’s waist.
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(3)
Make a fist with one
hand.
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(4)
Place the thumb side of
the fist against the abdomen
slightly above the navel and well
below the tip of the breastbone.
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(5)
Grasp the fist with the
other hand.
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(6)
Give quick backward and
upward thrusts.
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Note. Each thrust
should be a separate, distinct
movement.
Thrusts should be continued
until the obstruction is expelled or
the casualty becomes unconscious.
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b.
Chest thrusts.
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(1)
Stand behind the
casualty.
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(2)
Wrap your arms under
the casualty’s armpits and around
the chest.
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(3)
Make a fist with one
hand.
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(4)
Place the thumb side of
the fist on the middle of the
breastbone.
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(5)
Grasp the fist with the
other hand.
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(6)
Give backward thrusts.
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Note. Each thrust
should be performed slowly and
distinctly, and with the intent of
relieving the obstruction.
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3. Continue to give abdominal or chest thrusts as
required.
Give abdominal or chest thrusts
until the obstruction is clear, you
are relieved by a qualified person, or
the casualty becomes unconscious.
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Note. If the
casualty becomes unconscious, perform
a finger sweep and then start
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
procedures.
Note. If the
obstruction is cleared, watch the
casualty closely and check for other
injuries if necessary.
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Evaluation Preparation:
Setup: You need another
soldier to play the part of the casualty.
Brief
Soldier: Describe the symptoms of a casualty with good air exchange,
poor air exchange, or a complete airway
obstruction. Ask the soldier what should be done. Score step 1 based on the answer. Tell the soldier to do all of the first aid steps required to
clear an object from the casualty’s throat.
Tell the soldier to demonstrate where
to stand, how to position his hands, and how
to position the casualty for the thrusts.
The soldier must tell you how the
thrusts should be done.
Ensure that the soldier understands
that he must not actually do the thrusts. Do not evaluate step 3 in the simulated mode.
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Performance
Measures
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GO
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NO
GO
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1. Determined if the casualty needs help.
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—
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—
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2. Performed abdominal or chest thrusts as required.
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—
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—
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3. Continued abdominal or chest thrusts as required.
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—
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—
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Evaluation
Guidance:
Score the soldier GO if all
performance measures are passed.
Score the soldier NO GO if any
performance measure is failed.
If the soldier scores NO GO, show
what was done wrong and how to do it
correctly.
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References
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Required
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Related
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FM
4-25.11
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