Chest pain, trouble breathing, sudden weakness on one side, a fit or heavy bleeding needs help now, not an appointment.

112Any emergency108Ambulance102Pregnancy and newborn
Check a symptomManage a conditionHealth calculatorsUnderstand a lab reportFirst aid
Breathing and the heart

Choking

Also called choking, gala atakna, food stuck, cant breathe food, khana atak gaya

Call 112 or 108 first, then start. Put the phone on speaker so the operator can talk you through every step while your hands stay free.

What you are dealing with

Someone who cannot speak, cough or breathe, and is clutching their throat, has a blocked airway and needs help within seconds.

Do this, in this order

  1. Ask loudly, are you choking. If they can cough or speak, let them cough. Coughing works better than anything you can do.
  2. If they cannot cough, speak or breathe, stand to the side and slightly behind, lean them well forward.
  3. Give five sharp back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand, checking after each one.
  4. If that fails, stand behind, put a fist just above the navel, grasp it with the other hand and pull sharply inward and upward five times.
  5. Keep alternating five back blows and five abdominal thrusts until the blockage clears or help arrives.
  6. If they become unresponsive, lower them to the floor, call 112 or 108, and start chest compressions.

Never do this

  • Do not put your fingers into the mouth to fish for the object unless you can clearly see it and can hook it out.
  • Do not give abdominal thrusts to a baby under one year. Use five back blows and five chest thrusts instead.
  • Do not slap the back of someone who is still coughing well. You may dislodge the object into a worse position.
  • Do not give water to someone who is choking on food.

Call an ambulance if

  • Call 112 or 108 the moment back blows fail
  • Anyone who received abdominal thrusts should be checked by a doctor afterwards
  • The person remains hoarse, drooling, or has any difficulty breathing after the object clears
Call 112 nowCall 108 ambulance

After the emergency

Get it looked at properly

First aid buys time, it does not finish the job. Most of these situations need a doctor to check what happened, prevent infection, and decide whether anything more is needed.

Consult a doctorCheck a symptom instead

Get care for this

Doctors and care for choking

Verified Teleprac doctors you can see online or in a clinic, lab tests with home sample collection, and genuine medicines delivered to your door.

See all first aid topics

Important. This page is general first aid education and cannot replace a hands on first aid course or professional emergency care. Techniques taught by the Indian Red Cross, St John Ambulance and similar bodies are worth a single day of your life. In an emergency, call 112 or 108 first and follow what the operator tells you, because they can see your location and know what is on the way.

Call 112 Ambulance 108

More free tools in the Health Hub

Open Health Hub
Check a symptomSomething feels wrong and you want to know what it could be and who to seeManage a conditionYou live with diabetes, blood pressure, thyroid, asthma or something similarHealth calculatorsYou have a number, such as weight, waist or blood pressure, and want to know what it meansUnderstand a lab reportYou have a lab report with sugar, thyroid, cholesterol or blood counts and want to know what it means

Emergency numbers in India

Save these in your phone now, not when you need them. Tap any number to call it.

112Any emergencyOne number for police, fire and ambulance across India108AmbulanceFree emergency ambulance in most states and union territories102Pregnancy and newbornAmbulance for mothers and babies in most states14416Mental health supportTele MANAS, free counselling every hour of the day, many languages1800 116 117Poisoning or overdoseNational Poisons Information Centre, AIIMS New Delhi1098Child in distressChildline India, free and confidential

Where to read more

Public health sources written for patients rather than for doctors, and kept up to date.

Ministry of Health and Family WelfareOfficial Indian health programmes, advisories and public guidanceWorld Health Organization health topicsGlobal fact sheets written for the public, on hundreds of topicsNHS health A to ZPlain language pages on symptoms, conditions, tests and treatmentsMedlinePlusPatient information from the United States National Library of MedicineTele MANASIndia's national mental health support service, free and available all day

Important: Everything in Teleprac patient resources is general health education. It does not give you a diagnosis and it cannot replace examination by a qualified doctor, because it does not know your age, your reports, your pregnancy or the other medicines you take. Please do not start, stop or change any medicine on your own. Teleprac Healthcare is not liable for decisions made on the basis of this information. In an emergency, call your local emergency number or go to the nearest hospital immediately.