What is the correct initial action for a conscious patient with a complete airway obstruction?

What is the correct initial action for a conscious patient with a complete airway obstruction?

• A. Abdominal thrusts, call for help, and be prepared to start CPR if the patient becomes unresponsive
• B. Encourage coughing and monitor
• C. Check for pulse only
• D. Perform finger sweep to remove the object

Answer: (B)

When someone is conscious and there’s a complete airway obstruction, the airway is blocked and coughing cannot clear it. The immediate goal is to relieve the blockage with abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich maneuver) to generate enough pressure to expel the object. While doing this, you should have someone call for emergency help, and you should be ready to start CPR if the person loses consciousness. If the obstruction is successfully relieved, keep the person at rest and monitor them. Encouraging coughing and watching is appropriate only when the obstruction is partial and the person can still cough or speak. Checking for a pulse isn’t the first action in this scenario because relief of the obstruction and maintaining airway patency takes priority. A finger sweep should not be performed unless the object is clearly visible and easily reachable, as blindly sweeping can push the object deeper or cause injury.

When someone is conscious and there’s a complete airway obstruction, the airway is blocked and coughing cannot clear it. The immediate goal is to relieve the blockage with abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich maneuver) to generate enough pressure to expel the object. While doing this, you should have someone call for emergency help, and you should be ready to start CPR if the person loses consciousness. If the obstruction is successfully relieved, keep the person at rest and monitor them.

Encouraging coughing and watching is appropriate only when the obstruction is partial and the person can still cough or speak. Checking for a pulse isn’t the first action in this scenario because relief of the obstruction and maintaining airway patency takes priority. A finger sweep should not be performed unless the object is clearly visible and easily reachable, as blindly sweeping can push the object deeper or cause injury.