Heimlich maneuver by Untrained Person. A Life-Saving Action Turns into Nasopharyngeal Foreign Body

Foreign bodies in the upper aerodigestive tract are a common clinical encounter in young children. They may present with choking if the foreign body obstructs their upper airway, which may lead to unintentional death. Back blows and Heimlich maneuvers are life-saving procedures to dislodge the blocked foreign body in the airway that caretakers can do as choking hazards may occur anytime and anywhere. This foreign body may dislodge externally or distally. Dislodgement into the nasopharynx is rare and may remain unnoticed. The presence of a foreign body in the nasopharynx needs removal as it may get dislodged into the bronchus, causing life-threatening emergencies and death. Here, we described a case of a young child who had a choking episode at home, and an untrained person performed a quick back blow followed by a Heimlich maneuver to relieve the obstructed airway. The caretaker brought the child to the hospital as the foreign body did not dislodge externally despite looking well after the acute life-threatening event.