Seven-month-old baby chokes to death

Emergency team resuscitated boy’s heart but he was brain-dead on arrival in hospital

Aseven-month-old boy died in hospital on Monday, one day after medical efforts to dislodge a piece of chicken in the child’s throat failed, confirmed medical authorities.

The Uzbek boy, identified as S.A.D. from Al Bidyah area in Fujairah, died in Al Dhaid Hospital, an official said.

The child was admitted on Sunday and placed in intensive care in critical condition.

Dr Ahmad Bin Khadem, director-general of Al Dhaid Hospital, told Gulf News that the boy’s brain was deprived of oxygen due to a blocked airway and he was brain-dead on arrival.

Emergency staff resuscitated the boy’s heart but it wasn’t enough to save the child.

‘Face turned blue’

The parents of the infant told hospital staff that they turned their son upside down and started beating his back in an attempt to remove the piece of chicken from his mouth. But it did not work and his face turned blue.

He was hardly breathing when they brought him to the nearest hospital.

According to the Paediatric Advanced Life Support guidelines approved by the Dubai Health Authority, if a child is conscious and choking, a parent should turn the child on its front so that he or she is balanced on the parent’s thighs, and pat the child gently on his/ her back between the shoulder blades with the palm four to five times.

Gulf News spoke to Dr Mohammad Hassan Kazia, Head of Emergency Medicine in Prime Hospital, regarding steps parents can take if their baby experiences choking.

He said it is crucial that parents undergo training so that they do not cause more damage when patting the child.

“A parent can also try and open the child’s mouth to see if there is anything that is visibly choking the child and carefully try and pull it out,” he said.

Tips for parents

However, parents should not try to place their hands in their child’s mouth if nothing is clearly visible as it could push the object causing the obstruction further down.

“If the baby is unconscious, blue in colour or not breathing, parents who are trained should immediately begin to carry out CPR, and should call the emergency services for help,” said Dr Kazia.

Trained paramedics will try to dislodge the object from the baby’s throat, and provide him/ her with oxygen if needed, added Kazia.