After spending several years with Natalie, I have learned that occasionally she has problems with choking. Once I even began calling 911 while starting to do the Heimlich on her while on our boat (and in front of her terrified children).
As such, I feel it is only appropriate that I have this page dedicated to her personal safety while out with friends, and from time to time I share this with anyone that may need to know how to perform this procedure if her life was in jeopardy.
Interestingly, I shared this with some of her friends while she was vacationing in The Dominican Republic and within hours of sending it (as a joke), she started to choke while enjoying a nice evening dinner in paradise. I am completely validated now!
Call 911 before you begin. Make sure that you call 911 before you begin to make sure that performing a tracheotomy is even necessary. The emergency response team may be nearby.
- If you truly have no other option but to perform a tracheotomy, then you should still stay on the phone with emergency services. The dispatcher may be able to talk you through the procedure or put you in contact with someone who can. Having someone on the phone may also help to keep you calm.
Find the area over the cricothyroid membrane on the victim’s neck. This is the soft spot on the throat where the incision will be mad
- To find this, find the Adam’s apple, or larynx. Both men and women have an Adam’s apple, but they are more pronounced on adult men. You may have to feel the victim’s neck to find the Adam’s apple on a woman or a child.
- Slide your finger down from the Adam’s Apple until you feel another bulge; this is the cricoid cartilage.
- There is a slight indentation in between the Adam’s Apple and the cricoid cartilage; this is where the incision will be made.
Make a half-inch horizontal cut about a half-inch deep. Just below your cut, you’ll see the cricothyroid membrane (it is a yellowish elastic membrane located between the surrounding layers of cartilage). Make an incision on the membrane itself. The depth of the puncture should be just sufficient to gain access to the airway.
- Given the emergency nature of this procedure, it is okay to proceed without formal sterilization. Time is of the essence, and the concern of potential infection can be dealt with when emergency medical personnel arrive.
- However, if gloves are available — even if they are not sterile — use them to protect yourself from bloodborne diseases like HIV and hepatitis.
Maintain the opening to facilitate breathing. Do this by placing a straw tube 2 inches (5.1 cm) into the trachea.
- You can suck on the straw and see if you get air coming back to you to confirm that it is correctly located in the victim’s airway.
- A ballpoint pen casing (with the ink-filled tube from the inside removed) is also a good option for a tube.
