Dr. Kendall Crowns

If your airway is completely blocked, you can't breathe, speak, or even cough, and you can feel the object stuck in the back of your throat.

You'll keep trying to swallow and trying to make it move, but eventually your brain realizes you aren't getting air in, and the clock is now ticking for consciousness.

Panic sets in.

You grab at your throat with both hands, signaling those around you that something is wrong, trying to get help.

Your face, lips, and skin begin to turn blue due to lack of oxygen.

And in about 7 to 10 seconds, you go unconscious.

And in about another 4 to 5 minutes, brain death occurs.

If the object can be cleared, breathing can be restored.

And the main way to do this is through the use of the Heimlich Maneuver.

which is a maneuver that was developed in 1972 by an American thoracic surgeon, Dr. Henry Heimlich.

It's a life-saving technique using abdominal thrusts to expel the obstruction, and it has saved millions of lives.

75% of choking cases actually occur in the elderly.

The risk increases after the age of 71, making the elderly more likely to choke than any other group in the population.

The main culprit is food, usually meat, including the deadly hot dogs.

Other things commonly choked on are grapes, nuts, popcorn, hard candy, fruits, vegetables, and sticky food, especially peanut butter.

The elderly can even choke to death on water.

The main reasons for them choking is swallowing difficulties, also known as dysphagia, less saliva, and absence of teeth.

Dysphagia affects up to one-third of adults and is caused by age-related muscle weakness or underlying diseases like strokes, dementia, or Parkinson's disease.

Less saliva is a combination of aging and medication side effects, and this can cause difficulty chewing and swallowing.

The lack of saliva can make the food more dry and sticky, hard to manage in the mouth and throat.