What if a child swallows a bone?

Even very attentive and vigilant parents can not save the baby from all the troubles that may lie in wait for him in everyday life. So, an ordinary situation - a child swallowed a bone. What to do in this case and how to assist, we will tell in this material.

Bones are different. And you can swallow it out in different ways too. For example, a cherry stone, swallowed by a child at 2 years old, does not pose a particular health hazard. She will quite calmly leave the baby’s body in a natural way.

But the peach bone or plum bone is quite capable of danger, since it is large, equipped with sharp, uneven edges, and, if unsuccessful, can injure the esophagus and intestines.

Of course, the bone swallowed by a child is not a reason for parental panic, whatever it may be. But to the mercy of fate the situation can not be left. First of all, it is necessary to estimate the size of the bone, correlate it with the child's age, in order to understand whether swallowed can be dangerous.

Always dangerous bones from:

• cherry plums;
• fish;
• plums;
• peach;
• Chicken.

They are uneven. Chicken bones have a tubular structure and can severely injure the digestive tract, fish - very sharp. The consequences can be very sad. However, inept parental intervention can be even more dangerous for a baby. Therefore, the recommendations are unambiguous - if a child swallows a bone, an ambulance should be called.

It is also important to represent the amount swallowed. One smooth and small bone from cherries or cherries can in no way harm the baby, but a handful of cherry bones is already a good reason for going to a doctor, since this is dangerous because of the possibility of intestinal disruption or development acute appendicitis.

Do not underestimate the ability of gastric juice. Small fish bone, which got into the stomach through the esophagus without problems and interferences, can dissolve in an acidic environment without a trace and harm to the baby, but a large one can get stuck.

It is important to correctly provide emergency assistance. We will describe how to do this below.

A one-year-old child cannot tell about what happened, and if the parents did not see the moment of swallowing the bone, then they may well have to guess about it only by some signs.

The child “crawls” in coughing, cannot breathe normally, the skin reddens and starts to turn blue sharply. There may be a bulging of the eyeballs, loss of consciousness.

Symptoms will depend on where exactly the “congestion” occurred. The esophagus in young children is quite narrow.

If the foreign body has not reached the stomach, then the child becomes difficult to swallow, he produces a large amount of saliva, there are pronounced pain in the area behind the sternum.

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Painful symptoms in this case will not be at all. The state and behavior of the child does not change. It is important to make sure that the foreign body has left the body, for this purpose it is necessary to examine the feces.

A bone that has passed freely and unhindered into the intestines, while the child feels good for several days, is more likely to come out on her own.

If within 3-4 days she has not left the body, we can safely go to the pediatrician for an appointment at the clinic in the place of residence.

Stone from apricot, plum, cherry plum, peach, swallowed by a child - is always a reason for contacting the "emergency room". Do not wait a few days. Similar should be the actions of adults and in the event that the bone is stuck in the esophagus.

If there are symptoms of getting a foreign object in the trachea, you will have to act independently and promptly.

First, you need to sensibly assess the situation. If the baby has difficulty, but can breathe, you should not do anything yourself, so that the subject does not get further and do not block the trachea at all. It is necessary to call an ambulance and wait for the specialists.

If there is no breath, the child turns blue, loses consciousness, he urgently needs to save life:

• The child, who has already turned 1, is placed vertically, clasping the back of the waist.
• The left hand, clenched into a fist, is placed on the child’s belly in the middle between the ribs and the navel. With your right hand, wrap your left fist as tightly as possible, your elbows spread apart and make four sharp presses. The direction is from the bottom up.
• Take a short pause if breathing has not resumed, and repeat the four movements again. So do before the first independent breath.

If the child is "turned off", you should do otherwise:

• He is laid on his side, his head is thrown back, held by the chin. From this moment you can proceed to artificial ventilation of the lungs, to conduct artificial respiration.
• An adult takes a deep breath, presses as closely as possible to the lips and nose of the baby and makes exhalation. After five of these exhalations, you should check for the presence of spontaneous breathing using a small mirror, if not, then the series of exhalations is repeated, after which the adult presses the lower segment of the child’s chest with his palms several times.

• The presence of breath is checked again. If it is absent again, the procedure is repeated, alternating 2 mouth-to-mouth exhalations with a series of 3-4 presses. So do before the appearance of breathing or before the arrival of an ambulance.

• If a child is not a year old, then they put him face down on one hand, supporting his chin so that his fingers are on his back. With the second hand, with the base of the palm, careful blows are applied to the area between the shoulder blades.

If the bone does not come out, then the baby is placed face down on his knees and slightly pressed down on the sternum in its lower part. If nothing helps to restore breathing, begin to carefully carry out the above described set of measures for artificial respiration.

Regardless of which bone is swallowed:

• It is forbidden to try to “push” it with improvised means. Sometimes you can find tips to give your child a crust of bread or crackers. This is absolutely impossible to do.
• Do not force events and give the child as first aid laxatives or drugs that cause vomiting. Also, do not try to wash the stomach at home using the “restaurant” method (water and press the root of the tongue).

• You can not give food and food.
• Cannot be allowed to actively move.
• Chicken should be cleaned of bones and cartilage, if it is given to children up to 3-4 years. Then the child can be taught to separate the meat from the bones on their own. But the process of eating chicken must be monitored by parents.

Parents should remember the following:

• Children under 3 years old are best to give all the fruits and berries that have bones, in a peeled and bone-free form.
• Particular attention should be paid to the child in the summer, on vacation, where fruits can be practically freely available - in the garden, for example. Do not allow to pick or pick up the fallen fruits and eat them. First, it can lead to an intestinal infection, and, secondly, it increases the risk of swallowing the bone.

• A child over 3 years old who is already being given dates and whole apricots should not be allowed to eat during the game, enthusiastic occupation of something. This increases the risk of inadvertently choking or inhaling a foreign body.

• It is better not to offer fish in natural form to children up to 5-6 years old. For them, you can cook fish cutlets, meatballs, fillets, freed from everything, even small pits. Sea fish is preferable, as there are many small, almost imperceptible bones in river varieties.
• Chicken should be cleaned of bones and cartilage, if it is given to children up to 3-4 years. Then the child can be taught to separate the meat from the bones on their own. But the process of eating chicken must be monitored by parents.

What to do if the child choked, see the next video.