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Choking Episodes Among Children
Physical
and developmental factors put children at risk for choking. Children who choke run the risk of death, permanent brain
damage caused by lack of oxygen, or other complications associated
with airway blockage. In
2001, thousands of children were treated in U.S. emergency departments
for nonfatal choking episodes.
CDC recently published findings from a study that
examined nonfatal
choking episodes among children in the United States.
Read the entire
article or the media fact
sheet.
- In
2000, 160 children ages 14 years or younger died from an
obstruction of the respiratory tract due to inhaled or ingested
foreign bodies. Of
these, 41% were caused by food items and 59% by nonfood objects
(CDC, unpublished data).
- For
every choking-related death, there are more than 100 visits to
U.S. emergency departments. In
2001, an estimated 17,537 children 14 years or younger were
treated in U.S. emergency departments for choking episodes.
-
Sixty
percent of nonfatal choking episodes treated in emergency
departments were associated with food items; 31% were
associated with nonfood objects including coins; and in 9% of
the episodes the substance was unknown or unrecorded.
-
Candy
was associated with 19% of all choking-related emergency
department visits by children ages 14 years or younger; 65%
were related to hard candy; and 12.5% were related to other
specified types of candy (chocolate candy, gummy bears, gum,
etc.). The type of
candy was not specified in the remaining 22.5% of the cases. Candy
was associated with 5% of all choking-related visits for
infants less than one year of age; 25% of visits for children
ages 1 to 4 years; and 28% of visits for children ages 5 to 14
years.
- Coins
were involved in 18% of all choking-related emergency
department visits for children ages 1 to 4 years.
- In 2001, 10.5% of children treated in the emergency department for choking episodes were admitted to the hospital or transferred to a facility with a higher level of care.
-
Sixty
percent of nonfatal choking episodes treated in emergency
departments were associated with food items; 31% were
associated with nonfood objects including coins; and in 9% of
the episodes the substance was unknown or unrecorded.
Every child is at risk of choking. To reduce this risk, parents and caregivers can
- keep a watchful eye on their children when eating and playing;
- keep dangerous toys, foods, and household items out of reach; and
- learn how to provide early treatment for children who are choking.
To learn more about what you can do to prevent choking, follow these links:
- Consumer Product Safety Commission—Toy
Safety Publications
- CDC—Toy-Related
Injuries Among Children and Teenagers—United
States, 1996
- American Medical Association—Preventing
Common Household Accidents
- American Academy of Pediatrics—Toddler’s
Diet
- National SAFE KIDS Campaign—Airway
Obstruction
- Wisconsin Medical Journal—Prevention of Choking, Strangulation, and Suffocation in Childhood
-
Maternal Child Health Bureau/HRSA—The
Right Care, When It Counts
-
American Academy of Pediatrics—Pediatrician’s
Role in Advocating Life Support Courses for Parents
-
American Academy of Pediatrics—Choking and CPR
instructions for
- American Heart Association—Detailed
information about first aid, CPR, and classes in your area
- American Red Cross—Information about first aid, CPR, and babysitting classes
CDC. Nonfatal
choking-related episodes for children 0 to 14 years of age—United
States, 2001. MMWR
2002.
Reference
Disclaimer
Some of these sites are not CDC sites.
CDC is not responsible for the content of web pages found at links to such
sites.
Links to nonfederal organizations are provided solely as a service to our
users. These links do not indicate an endorsement of these organizations
by CDC or the federal government.