Public Comments on social media Regarding Self-management of Foreign Body Airway Obstruction; a Letter to Editor

Abstract

Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) frequently occurs unwitnessed. In the absence of external assistance and the ability to rapidly reach help, immediate self-management of FBAO could be the only way to avoid impending death from asphyxia. In this letter, relevant evidence of real-life self-management of severe FBAO from public comments posted on social media were gathered and reported. The results indicate that in cases of severe FBAO, laypeople apply self-management maneuvers notwithstanding that self-help is omitted from the current resuscitation guidelines.

Keywords

• Airway Obstruction
• Emergencies
• First Aid
• Heimlich Maneuver
• Self-Management
• Social Media