Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Choking causes many preventable deaths each year. Unfortunately, there is limited scientific evidence evaluating how well traditional choking treatments taught in first aid courses work (e.g., abdominal thrusts, back blows, chest compressions). Airway clearance devices are new tools designed to save someone who is choking. They work by placing a mask over the mouth and suctioning the foreign body out of the airway. They are being sold widely to the public and being advertised as a safer alternative to traditional treatments. Only one study using mannequins evaluating the effectiveness of the devices when used by healthcare professionals (i.e., doctors, nurses) versus abdominal thrusts exists. This study suggests that some airway clearance devices may be a more effective treatment for choking for trained individuals. My project aims to identify the best strategy to help individuals who are choking. I will conduct a trial that compares the effectiveness of newer airway clearance devices to abdominal thrusts at clearing a mannequin's airway for bystanders without healthcare training. This mannequin study is an important prerequisite to eventually assessing the effectiveness of the devices in humans. Also, most choking incidents are treated by non-healthcare professionals so understanding how well they can use newer devices is critical. By evaluating multiple treatments for choking, we aim to improve our understanding of what the optimal response is for first aiders and bystanders.