What are the cycles of care for a responsive choking adult or child?

The cycles of care for a responsive choking adult or child involve delivering back blows and abdominal thrusts. This sequence is critical in assisting someone who is choking.

Giving back blows involves firmly striking the person on their back between the shoulder blades using the heel of your hand. This can create enough force to dislodge the object obstructing their airway. If back blows do not resolve the issue, abdominal thrusts, often referred to as the Heimlich maneuver, are then administered. By wrapping your arms around the person's waist and delivering quick, upward thrusts just above the navel, this technique helps to push air from the lungs, potentially expelling the object causing the obstruction.

This combination is essential because both techniques target the same issue—removing an obstruction from the airway—through different methods, allowing for the most effective response.

Other combinations such as chest compressions with back blows or chest thrusts with abdominal thrusts do not align with the proper techniques for responding to choking in a conscious individual. Similarly, back blows paired with rescue breaths are inappropriate in this scenario, as rescue breaths are not part of the immediate response to choking for a person who is still able to breathe and is responsive. The correct cycle focuses specifically on back blows and