Objective s Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) is one of the leading causes of accidental death worldwide, with food being among the most common causes. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the most frequent foreign bodies removed from the airway using an anti-choking suction device. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed a database obtained from LifeVac, which has collected data on the use of the LifeVac device since 2016. Results We analyzed data from 1,062 patients who experienced FBAO and had the obstruction removed using a LifeVac device. These cases spanned 16 countries, with the majority reported in the United States (n=853, 80.3%), where infants were the most represented age group (n=283, 26.6%). Meat was the most common foreign body (n=178, 16.8%). Most victims had no documented medical conditions (n=746, 70.2%). The LifeVac device achieved success on the first attempt in approximately one-third of cases (n=382, 36.0%). Fewer than half of the victims (n=368, 34.7%) sought medical attention afterward. The highest first-attempt success rate occurred in the supine position (247 of 612, 40.4%). Conclusion Among LifeVac-reported FBAO cases, infants were the most commonly affected group, meat was the most frequent foreign body, and the highest first-attempt success rate was observed in the supine position. These findings highlight populations and scenarios that may benefit from targeted prevention and timely intervention.
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Dispositivos de succión para el atragantamiento: revisión crítica de la evidencia y consideraciones en pediatría Ignacio Manrique Martínez, Sara Pons Morales Pediatría Integral.2026; : 279e1. CrossRef
Reliance on suction-based airway clearance devices hinders recommended first aid for choking Alexei Birkun Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine.2026; 13(2): 247. CrossRef
Airway foreign body (FB) removal is challenging and a time-limited and lifesaving procedure. Herein, we report successful removal of a life-threatening FB in the subglottic airway in an infant by physically forcing the FB further into the distal airway to block one lung and save the other. A 12-month-old boy presented in the emergency department with choking. Upon arrival, his mental status was alert. However, respiratory failure rapidly progressed and respiratory arrest occurred. We attempted to move the FB distally by pushing the endotracheal tube as deep as possible and inserting the stylet further. The patient was successfully resuscitated, and bronchoscopic FB removal was performed. The patient was discharged without respiratory or neurologic sequelae.
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Do We Actually Help Choking Children? The Quality of Evidence on the Effectiveness and Safety of First Aid Rescue Manoeuvres: A Narrative Review Jakub R. Bieliński, Riley Huntley, Cody L. Dunne, Dariusz Timler, Klaudiusz Nadolny, Filip Jaskiewicz Medicina.2024; 60(11): 1827. CrossRef
Objective Given the lack of a unified tool for appraising the quality of educational resources for lay-rescuer delivery of adult basic life support (BLS), this study aimed to develop an appropriate evaluation checklist based on a consensus of international experts.
Methods In a two-round Delphi study, participating experts completed questionnaires to rate each item of a predeveloped 72-item checklist indicating agreement that an item should be utilized to evaluate the conformance of an adult BLS educational resource with resuscitation guidelines. Consensus on item inclusion was defined as a rating of ≥7 points from ≥75% of experts. Experts were encouraged to add anonymous suggestions for modifying or adding new items.
Results Of the 46 participants, 42 (91.3%) completed the first round (representatives of 25 countries with a median of 16 years of professional experience in resuscitation) and 40 (87.0%) completed the second round. Thirteen of 72 baseline items were excluded, 55 were included unchanged, four were included after modification, and four new items were added. The final checklist comprises 63 items under the subsections “safety” (one item), “recognition” (nine items), “call for help” (four items), “chest compressions” (12 items), “rescue breathing” (12 items), “defibrillation” (nine items), “continuation of CPR” (two items), “choking” (10 items) and “miscellaneous” (four items).
Conclusion The produced checklist is a ready-to-use expert consensus–based tool for appraising the quality of educational content on lay-rescuer provision of adult BLS. The checklist gives content developers a tool to ensure educational resources comply with current resuscitation knowledge, and may serve as a component of a prospective standardized international framework for quality assurance in resuscitation education.
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Wikipedia is a highly accessed although unreliable source of knowledge on cardiopulmonary resuscitation Alexei Birkun Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine.2024; 11(4): 392. CrossRef
Quality of publicly available information on the principles and methods of first aid in cardiac arrest: a structured analysis of Russian-language web resources A. A. Birkun, G. V. Ivanova Russian Journal of Cardiology.2024; 29(9): 5971. CrossRef
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