What to do when someone is choking
When an adult is choking and cannot talk or cough, tell someone to call 911, then lean the person forward and give five firm back blows between the shoulder blades, followed by five inward and upward thrusts just above the belly button. Keep alternating until the food comes out or the person becomes unresponsive, then start CPR. Take a certified class.
A friend at a restaurant suddenly clutches her throat and cannot talk or cough.
Why it matters: Choking is fast, and the order of actions is easy to learn.
In an emergency, call your local emergency number, 911 in the US, first. Reading a page is not training: take a certified class and practice on a manikin.
Steps
- Ask: are you choking? A nod with no sound, or hands at the throat, means yes.
- If they can cough strongly, encourage coughing and stay with them.
- If they cannot speak, cough or breathe, have someone call your local emergency number, 911 in the US.
- Support the chest, lean them forward, and give five firm back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
- Stand behind, make a fist above the belly button and below the ribs, grasp it, and give five quick inward and upward thrusts.
- Keep alternating five and five until the object comes out.
- If they become unresponsive, lower them to the floor and start CPR.
- Make sure they see a clinician afterward, even if they feel fine.
Stop and call a professional if
- the person cannot speak, cough or breathe: call your local emergency number, 911 in the US, at once
- anyone who needed thrusts should be checked by a clinician afterward
- the person is pregnant, very large, or an infant: a certified class teaches different technique
Common mistakes
- Hitting the back of someone who is still coughing strongly.
- Placing the fist on the ribs.
- Reaching blindly into the mouth.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: What to do when someone is choking
What to say
When an adult is choking and cannot talk or cough, tell someone to call 911, then lean the person forward and give five firm back blows between the shoulder blades, followed by five inward and upward thrusts just above the belly button. Keep alternating until the food comes out or the person becomes unresponsive, then start CPR. Take a certified class.
What to show
- Ask: are you choking? A nod with no sound, or hands at the throat, means yes.
- If they can cough strongly, encourage coughing and stay with them.
- If they cannot speak, cough or breathe, have someone call your local emergency number, 911 in the US.
- Support the chest, lean them forward, and give five firm back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
- Stand behind, make a fist above the belly button and below the ribs, grasp it, and give five quick inward and upward thrusts.
- Keep alternating five and five until the object comes out.
- If they become unresponsive, lower them to the floor and start CPR.
- Make sure they see a clinician afterward, even if they feel fine.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if the person cannot speak, cough or breathe: call your local emergency number, 911 in the US, at once.
Check question
What is the common sign someone is choking?
Answer: Hands clutching the throat, unable to speak. Silent distress with hands at the throat is the signal.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- US national first aid guidelines for lay responders, 2025. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .