Prospective Evaluation of Foreign Body Airway Obstruction Interventions Among Infants

Prospective Evaluation of Foreign Body Airway Obstruction Interventions Among Infants: A Non-randomized Pilot Cohort Study

Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO, choking) is a life-threatening emergency requiring time-sensitive treatment to prevent severe injury or deaths. Traditional treatments taught in first aid courses include abdominal thrusts, back blows, and chest compressions or thrusts. Currently, first aid guidelines recommend different treatments for adults, child and infants.

Until recently, data on these techniques was limited to case series from the late 1900's. To further improve our knowledge of which treatment is most effective and safest for patients, this study will collect data on choking incidents in Alberta, Canada. The first phase of this project will make sure identifying and recruiting choking patients in real-time is possible so that the highest quality of data can be collected. If successful, this study will support a future project where the different choking treatments are compared in terms of their effectiveness and safety. This study will focus on infants aged 2 years or younger.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Infants (aged 2 years or less) who experienced an out-of-hospital FBAO in Alberta, Canada
• Received a FBAO intervention while conscious by bystander or healthcare provider
• Were assessed by EMS at the time of the incident, or later attended an emergency department due to the incident

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with abnormal airway anatomy such as a tracheostomy.
• Patients who were unconscious when they received the initial FBAO intervention