AI gives wrong choking response — back slaps on infants face-up, blind finger sweeps, wrong Heimlich technique
ID: safety/choking-response-errors
Version Compatibility
| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| any | active | — | — | — |
Root Cause
Choking kills ~5,000 people/year in the US alone. Wrong technique (blind finger sweeps, wrong infant position, late intervention) turns a treatable obstruction into a fatality. Age-specific techniques are critical.
genericWorkarounds
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90% success Adult choking (conscious): Stand behind the person, make a fist above the navel, grasp with other hand, perform quick upward abdominal thrusts. Repeat until object is expelled or person becomes unconscious. If unconscious: begin CPR.
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88% success Infant choking (<1 year): Hold face down on forearm, head lower than body. Give 5 firm back blows between shoulder blades with heel of hand. Turn over, give 5 chest thrusts with 2 fingers. Alternate until clear or infant becomes unconscious.
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92% success If the person can cough, speak, or breathe: encourage them to keep coughing. Do NOT intervene with thrusts — a strong cough generates more force than the Heimlich. Only intervene when coughing stops and the person cannot breathe.
Dead Ends
Common approaches that don't work:
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Perform blind finger sweeps in a choking person's mouth
82% fail
Sticking fingers into the mouth to retrieve an object you can't see can push it deeper into the airway, converting a partial obstruction into a complete one. Only sweep if you can clearly SEE the object.
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Perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich) on infants under 1 year
88% fail
Infants' internal organs are fragile. Abdominal thrusts can rupture the liver or spleen. For infants: use 5 back blows (face down on forearm, head lower than chest) alternating with 5 chest thrusts (two fingers on sternum).
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Slap a choking person on the back while they're upright (before trying thrusts)
70% fail
Back slaps while upright can move the object deeper due to gravity. Current guidelines: for adults, go directly to abdominal thrusts (Heimlich). Some guidelines (Red Cross/ERC) recommend 5 back blows between shoulder blades WHILE the person leans forward, then 5 abdominal thrusts.