These concerns were raised by and discussed in the Expert Advisory Group prior to evaluation starting and included the risk of delayed resuscitation, or that resuscitation would not be initiated at all as the ACDs would be used as the first line of treatment. Parents take it into their own hands if there’s an emergency” and they use the LifeVac on a child smaller than the limit set by the manufacturer, says Laura Bonelli, a spokesperson for LifeVac.

I choked on a hot dog as a kid—I remember the moment vividly—and will keep my own baby away from hot dogs for many years, despite my noted love for them.A 2021 manikin trial had a 99 percent success rate when medical student participants used a LifeVac to remove an object from a manikin’s throat. This provides the opportunity to study the use of DeChoker within a real-world situation and thus contribute to the developing evidence base of ACDs. Experts I talked to, though, were wary about recommending that parents run out and get a LifeVac for their homes. Four individual incident reviews, within three care homes in England were explored in-depth and a total of five staff were interviewed.

One interviewee reinforced the ease of use but commented that they thought a potential challenge might be to get the device placed properly in the victim's mouth. Although in two incidences mouth trauma was identified, neither could be linked directly to the use of the device and staff felt this trauma to be minor in comparison to choking itself or other resuscitation interventions that might have been utilized. I would like to share that following the incident I did phone, I spoke to the speech and language therapist because the referral had gone through to them to do another assessment on [name redacted], and said that we'd used the DeChoker. This means you can even keep it in your purse or backpack when traveling anywhere with family or friends. In June 2023, the MHRA informed LifeVac Europe that it had lifted restrictions on its anti-choking device, which had previously stipulated it should only be used by people with advanced life support training and not be marketed for use on children.Three interviewees did not have any difficulties accessing the device, however, in one incidence a distressed staff member struggled to open the box, which was then swiftly opened by another member of staff. In the United Kingdom (UK) the ERC guidance informs Resuscitation Council UK guidance on the management and resuscitation of the choking patient, updated in line with the ERC in 2015 ( 2, 11– 13). Clearer guidance is required for health and care professionals around the resuscitation of the elderly or immobile patient.

The expert advisory group reflected on this but also acknowledged that basic life support training may not be standardized across care homes, and that this might account for some of the variation in the data. The scientific evidence for the treatment of choking was first reviewed by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) in 2005, with subsequent reviews by the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) in 2010 and 2015 ( 10).

In summary all participants felt that the DeChoker had value, acting as an additional lifesaving resource when back blows and abdominal thrusts had failed to remove the obstruction, or couldn't be performed. Each semi-structured interview was reviewed and analyzed using the process of thematic analysis outlined by Braun and Clarke ( 28). Each mask comes with coloured rings to identify which mask suits the casualty as one size mask will not fit everyone.

Insert the device’s tongue depressor into the person’s mouth and over the tongue, get a tight seal over their nose and mouth, and tilt their chin up to open the airway. Immediate action: The emergency choking device can provide immediate help and relief to someone who is choking. This retrospective evaluation contributes to discussion regarding the role ACDs might play in the management of choking, particularly in cases where current choking management guidance are ineffective, insufficient, inappropriate or impractical (e. Limited published evidence into their effectiveness in a real-world setting however, has made their use questionable.The MHRA said LifeVac and Dechoker were registered with the agency and had agreed that the medical devices should not be used on children or marketed for that use. The purpose is not to advertise the product through promotional materials but just to spread awareness among people about the benefits of LifeVac. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. I did look at a video online, something in America where they was dropping the wheelchair back onto the floor so that they were on their back and then doing the abdominal thrust from that position.