Foreign object - inhaled or swallowed

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Choking first aid - infant under 1 year - series	Heimlich maneuver on adult	Heimlich maneuver on an adult	Heimlich maneuver on conscious child
Heimlich maneuver on conscious child	Heimlich maneuver on infant	Heimlich maneuver on infant	Heimlich maneuver on oneself
Lungs

If you breath a foreign object into the respiratory tract, it may become stuck and cause respiratory problems, as well as inflammation and infection. See also choking.

If swallowed, a foreign object may become stuck along the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract, or pass through.

Obstructed airway; Blocked airway

These injuries can occur at any age, but are most common in children ages 1 to 3.

• Certain foods (nuts, seeds, popcorn) and small objects (buttons, beads) are easily inhaled by young children. Such objects may cause either partial or total airway blockage.
• Coins, small toys, marbles, pins, screws, rocks, and anything else small enough for infants or toddlers to put in their mouths can be swallowed. If the object passes through the esophagus and into the stomach without getting stuck, it will probably pass through the entire digestive tract.

Review Date: 08/08/2005
Reviewed By: William D. Whetstone M.D., Associate Clinical Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.