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Safety Training Seminars
Safety Training Seminars
The BLS Adult Choking Algorithm based on AHA 2025 Guidelines provides a clear, step-by-step approach for recognizing and managing airway obstruction in adults. Learn updated assessment techniques, abdominal thrusts, back blows, and emergency interventions to ensure rapid, effective relief of choking and improve patient survival outcomes.
Choking is a life-threatening emergency that can happen to anyone, anywhere. Knowing the correct steps to take can make the difference between life and death. For healthcare professionals and trained first responders, the BLS Adult Choking Algorithm provides a standardized, effective approach to managing this crisis.
The Basic Life Support (BLS) guidelines, established by the American Heart Association (AHA), offer a clear sequence of actions. Understanding this protocol is crucial for anyone with BLS certification, as it ensures a systematic and proven response. Let’s walk through the process for a conscious adult who is choking.
The BLS Adult Choking Algorithm is a structured set of actions designed for managing a Foreign-Body Airway Obstruction (FBAO) in adults. The initial and most critical step is to determine the severity of the obstruction. Is the person able to cough, speak, or breathe? Their ability to do so will guide your next actions.
First, ask the person, “Are you choking?” A person with a severe airway obstruction will not be able to speak, cough, or breathe. They may use the universal sign for choking by clutching their throat with one or both hands.
If the person can cough forcefully, speak, or make sounds, the airway is only partially blocked. In this case:
If the person cannot speak, cough, or breathe, or makes high-pitched noises while inhaling, the obstruction is severe. This is a true emergency, and you must act immediately.
For a conscious adult with a severe airway obstruction, the recommended action is to perform abdominal thrusts, also known as the Heimlich maneuver.
The standard abdominal thrust technique may need to be modified for pregnant individuals or people with larger body sizes where you cannot wrap your arms around their waist.
For Pregnant or Obese Individuals: Perform chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts. Position your hands in the center of the person’s chest, on the lower half of the breastbone. Deliver firm, inward thrusts, similar to the motion of chest compressions but more forceful.
If your efforts to relieve the choking are unsuccessful and the person loses consciousness, you must transition to a different set of actions within the BLS algorithm.
The force from the chest compressions can sometimes be enough to dislodge the foreign object, which is why checking the airway before giving breaths is a critical step.
Knowing the BLS Adult Choking Algorithm is an essential skill for healthcare providers and a valuable asset for anyone. While reading about the steps is a great start, nothing replaces hands-on practice. Proper training ensures you can perform these life-saving maneuvers correctly and confidently when it matters most.
At Safety Training Seminars, we provide comprehensive, American Heart Association (AHA)-certified BLS courses that cover choking emergencies for adults, children, and infants. Our blended learning format combines a convenient online course with a brief, in-person skills session at one of our 70+ locations across California. This approach guarantees you receive high-quality training that fits your schedule. Our experienced instructors will guide you through hands-on practice, ensuring you master the techniques needed to save a life. Ready to gain the skills and confidence to act in an emergency? Book an appointment with us and get your certification card the very same day.
The BLS Adult Choking Algorithm infographic provides a clear, structured approach to managing airway obstruction in adults, helping responders act fast and with confidence. This visual guide explains how to identify choking early by recognizing key warning signs such as poor air exchange, silent coughing, cyanosis, or loss of consciousness. At Safety Training Seminars, the infographic simplifies these critical assessment steps so learners can quickly determine whether the airway obstruction is mild or severe and respond appropriately without hesitation.
For severe adult choking, the infographic walks through the correct lifesaving actions in a logical sequence. It demonstrates when to activate emergency response systems, how to perform effective abdominal thrusts, and how to reassess the victim after each attempt. Clear illustrations show correct hand placement, force direction, and body positioning, ensuring proper technique and minimizing injury risk. If the adult becomes unresponsive, the algorithm visually transitions into high-quality CPR with airway checks, reinforcing seamless escalation of care in line with current BLS guidelines.
The infographic also emphasizes the importance of training, consistency, and guideline-based practice. By converting complex clinical instructions into an easy-to-understand visual format, it improves knowledge retention and real-world performance during emergencies. Safety Training Seminars ensures that the BLS Adult Choking Algorithm is accurate, up to date, and designed for healthcare providers, workplace responders, and community members alike. Understanding and applying this algorithm can save lives, making this infographic an essential educational resource for anyone serious about emergency readiness and effective choking response.
The BLS adult choking algorithm is a stepwise protocol to identify and relieve airway obstructions in adults. It includes back blows, abdominal thrusts, and monitoring, and Safety Training Seminars provides clear demonstrations in BLS courses.
Choking is recognized by inability to speak or breathe, clutching the throat, and cyanosis. Immediate recognition is crucial to prevent complete airway obstruction and cardiac arrest.
For conscious adults, give 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts until the object is expelled or the adult becomes unresponsive. If unresponsive, begin CPR and call emergency services immediately.
If the adult becomes unresponsive during choking, start CPR immediately while activating emergency services. Chest compressions can help dislodge the obstruction and restore circulation.
BLS training ensures rescuers can quickly recognize choking, apply the correct maneuvers, and respond effectively. Safety Training Seminars provides hands-on practice to prevent airway emergencies from becoming fatal.