3 yr old chokes to death while watching Alien Vs Predetor

[yukichigai]

I can see the ads now:

Aliens vs. Predator: The movie so extreme it'll kill your kids!


Still, pretty sad.

 

[Mayfriday0529]

That Movie theater is only 20 minutes from my house.
poor kid

 

[IHYLN]

is someone suing the father for being an idiot?

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: 911paramedic

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: 911paramedic

Originally posted by: Fritzo3. Having had some advanced medical training, if the person is choking for more than three minutes and is not getting any air through (person's face will turn blue), or becomes unconscious, you can sterilize a sharp knife or razorblade and make a small cut below the "Adam's apple". You'll feel a tough tube (feels like chicken grizzle) you need to cut through. The incision should be no more than 1" or so. You can then insert a drinking straw down the throat to allow air through.[/L]

You have seen too many movies and your "advanced" training seems to have escaped you. A 1" cut on a 3 year old would be WAY WAY WAY too big, and inserting a straw wouldn't do a thing. The straw would be crushed with the pressure of the tissue around it, plain and simple. A standard drinking straw would also probably be larger in diameter than the childs trachea, square peg into round hole. (not to mention not having suction for the bleeding) At that age if you see the obstruction in the oropharynx you are supposed to try and remove it with your finger.

Performing such an action you WOULD NOT be protected by the Good Samaritan law, that would be called "practicing medicine without a license". Even as somebody that has done these (with a catheter, not incising) I would be guilty of it as well if I was off duty without the proper equipment.

It sounds like they tried everything but it was a tragic accident.

Maybe you should sue the Red Cross, since they're the ones teaching to do that in extreme situations. It's a last ditch resort, so it's not like everyone's going to go around slicing throats. So you're saying this doesn't work???

With a straw? No. If they are telling people to do that they are making a huge mistake. I have only had to do that a few times in 7 years, and that was because there was either no oral cavity anymore or there was burn injuries that caused the epiglottis to swell so much that we couldn't intubate.

Performing such an advanced procedure is something that should only be done in a wilderness situation or when other medical aid is not within a reasonable response area. That particular procedure is one we are tested on before we can actually perform it as a licensed paramedic, I would hate to see a layperson try and perform it because they could make the situation worse. The complications are there even when using the correct equipment, trying to do it with a razor and a straw would be crazy.

P.S. Ventilating after doing one is also a PITA.

We had dummies to practice on, but yick.....not something I'd do willingly. Just out of curiosity, what do you think the paramedics did when they got there? Do they have special tools or something to remove things from people's throats?

 

[911paramedic]

We use a laryngoscope to visualize the airway, if we see something we extract it with forceps. If there is something we cannot see we insert the ET tube and attempt to ventilate. If the obstruction is in the lower airway we can insert a suction catheter through the tube to either extract it or it will push it into one of the mainstem bronchi, that way we can at least ventilate the one lung and the ER docs can do a bronchoscopy to remove it later. Ventilating one lung is better than none.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: 911paramedic

What is the internal diameter of the average adult human's trachea?

The average would be about the size of your pinky. We use ET (endotracheal tubes) that range from 2-9mm in diameter, and I use mostly 6.5 through 8mm tubes. (depending on how large the adult is, large man vs. small woman)

Wow, I never realized it was that small. How come it is so hard to breathe through a straw then (even those larger ones)?

 

[rh71]

I heard this on the radio yesterday. They mentioned the family was from a homeless shelter. Now how did they manage to have 4 homeless people at a movie ? 4 people + popcorn = $35+

 

[911paramedic]

If anybody was wondering what we need to follow as far as guidelines this is our protocol manual. Cricothyrotomy is on page ~89 or so. (this will give you an idea of what's required of a paramedic and what we can and cannot do)

Protocols

 

[Chunkee]

God Bless his little soul

this is horrible

jC

 

[Lioness]

"His parents rushed him out of the theater where they performed the Heimlich maneuver without success."

"I was trying everything," his father, Eddie Riley, told the Daily News in Tuesday's editions. "I was trying to put my finger down his throat. I didn't feel anything."

Sounds like the father performed a blind sweep. Which makes me wonder if he performed the heimlich correctly. But irregardless of this fact, if he's had CPR training, which sounds like he may have, he will be the first one to question himself if he did this correctly. And if not, unfortunately in these cases the parent performing the action is hardest on themselves. The bottom line is here, at least he tried.

A small kernal of corn would be sufficient for a complete airway obstruction on a three year old.

 

[booger711]

he was only 3

 

[3chordcharlie]

Originally posted by: Mwilding
a non-sterile soda straw = nasty bacteria

a non-sterile knife = tetanus

Maybe a non-sterile knife, which had been exposed to tetanus would have tetanus.

Not that there's anything wrong with sterilizing the knife. Most problem bacteria comes from hospitals anyway (just a fact of life).

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Marauder911

Originally posted by: 911paramedic

What is the internal diameter of the average adult human's trachea?

The average would be about the size of your pinky. We use ET (endotracheal tubes) that range from 2-9mm in diameter, and I use mostly 6.5 through 8mm tubes. (depending on how large the adult is, large man vs. small woman)

Wow, I never realized it was that small. How come it is so hard to breathe through a straw then (even those larger ones)?

That's why it is so easy to get sleep apnea when you gain weight and the excess skin closes in on the small airway.

 

[virtueixi]

What happened to the hemilch?? So sad.

 

[StinkyPinky]

Why was he watching AvP anyway? He's too young for that.

 

[Azraele]

Poor kid.

Parents should not take their 3 year old to such a movie, though.

 

[Trey22]

Never fear... if any of you ever choke in my presence, I'll be be first to crack your chest open and massage your heart...err, I mean, give you that trachy thingy, whatever.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Sabot

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Originally posted by: Sabot
Man, that movie was terrible.

Really? I'm taking my 13 year old to see it today. We've been looking forward to it...

Yeah it was actually horrible. Your kid will probably enjoy it, but if you liked the Alien or Predator films, you will most likely hate it.

Agreed.