A 3 year old child was eating a grape for lunch and started grabbing at her throat and gasping for air so I asked her if she was choking and she nodded yes. I would check to see if there is any visible object in the child’s mouth and then I would immediately do the Heimlich maneuver because the child wasn’t breathing. The Heimlich maneuver is done by standing behind the victim and making a fist you place the inside of your thumb against the victim’s abdomen just above the belly button and give quick thrusts by pushing in and upward at the same time until the object comes out or until they are unconscious and you will start CPR (Flegel, 2008). .I would call for one of the other preschool teachers to help with the other children. The mayo clinic website says that you do not use a blind sweep for an object blocking the airway and only remove an item that you can see. I would keep doing the Heimlich until the object was removed or advanced medical personnel arrive. I would reassure the child as I am giving the Heimlich that everything would be fine and that help is on the way. As soon as there is help I would have them contact the child’s parents or legal guardian I would have one of the teachers take over while I rode with the child to the hospital that the parent requested on the emergency form. I would reassure the child on the ride to the hospital and let them know we contacted their parent and they would be there soon. When the parent got there I would let them know what happened and let them know I am there if they need anything. When I returned I would fill out a report and assess the situation to see if there was anything that could have been done to keep the incident from happening such as cutting up the grapes into four pieces to minimize a choking hazard. A letter could be sent home to parents letting them know of the foods that are choking hazards and if they must send grapes they could cut them up.
The preschool that I work at always has a person who works in the office and we have phones in every room to call her with if we need her help. I also have my cell phone in the room with me in case I need to use it in an emergency. It does help to have a plan as to what steps to take in case of an emergency and training every employee in first aid and CPR should be a requirement for all daycares, preschools, and schools. At the beginning of the year we have parents fill out an emergency form with all numbers and people we can reach in case of an emergency. They can request what hospital they prefer.
Another case is a 5 year old falls off the ladder to the slide on the playground and is unconscious and not breathing. I would check all senses and I would avoid moving the child in case there is an injury to the neck or head. I check the child’s pulse and if there is no pulse I would start CPR immediately and I would ask one of the other teachers to call 911. I would continue to give CPR until the child starts breathing or until emergency personnel arrive. I would get back up for my class and would accompany the child to the hospital and would stay until the parents arrive and answer their questions if they have any and then I would leave.
When I returned I would fill out a report and then assess the situation to see if something could be done to avoid the fall from happening. I would check to see if playground equipment was wet that day or if there was any horseplay involved in the child falling by asking other children what they saw. Some of the children wear sandals and they could be a reason that the child slipped if she was wearing them that day. If sandals were the issue the preschool may look into banning sandals that do not have straps to keep them on because they can be dangerous on the playground equipment.
A childhood education program should prepare for emergency situations and should have a first aid kit kept up to date and on hand everywhere they would go (Robertson, 2010). Emergency numbers should be posted in the facility by the phones or where the teacher can see them quickly in an emergency.
References
Flegel, M. (2008). Sport First aid: A coach’s guide to the care and prevention of athletic
Injuries (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics
Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (4th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
The Mayo Clinic Staff (2009). Choking: First Aid. Retrieved on September 25, 2010 from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-choking/FA00025
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