As the Chuseok holiday extends for five days this year, it is necessary to prepare for unexpected emergencies such as food choking and difficulty breathing.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and emergency medicine medical staff on the 16th, emergencies are likely to occur while consuming rich holiday foods. Especially when eating glutinous rice cakes like chapssaltteok and injeolmi, the airway can become blocked, so children and elderly people with weak chewing and swallowing abilities should be cautious. If the airway is blocked by food, the patient should cough if possible, and if coughing is not possible, the Heimlich maneuver (airway obstruction emergency procedure) should be performed immediately.
If a person eating food clutches their neck with both hands, cannot make sounds, and appears distressed, it is judged as airway obstruction and the Heimlich maneuver should be carried out immediately. The rescuer should stand behind the patient, wrap their arms around them, make a fist with one hand placing the thumb side between the patient’s sternum and navel, cover the fist with the other hand, and pull inward and upward sharply.
For infants under 12 months or weighing less than 10 kg, lay them face down on your thigh with their head lower than their body, then firmly strike the center of the back with the heel of your hand ('back blows'), and repeat strong and quick chest compressions about 4 cm deep just below the line connecting both nipples ('chest compressions').
Children sometimes swallow coins or Go stones; do not try to forcibly remove them but go straight to the emergency room for safety. Especially for adults or children who lose consciousness and stop breathing during airway obstruction treatment, call 119 emergency services and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until help arrives.
If you witness an emergency accident, it is important to quickly connect 119 and the patient. Rather than rushing to the hospital, it is crucial to move the patient to a safe area and care for them on-site until 119 arrives. If a patient suddenly loses consciousness, immediately seek help nearby, call 119, and if there is no pulse, perform CPR. If you are not familiar with CPR procedures, do not attempt artificial respiration forcefully; perform strong and fast chest compressions only until 119 arrives.
If medical treatment or medication is needed, you can check hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies open during the holiday through applications (apps) and call centers. The emergency medical information app "Ezen" allows users to see open hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies on a map based on their location. It also provides information on night clinics and the locations of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). By accessing the emergency medical portal, information on open hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies is displayed. If using a smartphone or the internet is difficult, you can call the call centers for inquiries. These include the Health and Welfare Call Center (129), Emergency Situation Management Center (119), and City/Province Call Centers (120).
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