How the LifeVac Eased My Mind

A little after Mason turned 6 months old, we started feeding him solid foods. As an anxious first time mama, I couldn’t stop worrying about what would happen if he choked. Of course, as a Family Medicine physician, I have been trained in just about every life saving technique there is.

So WHY was I still so nervous?

As morbid as it is, I actually ran through a choking scenario in my head. I wanted to be as prepared as I could if the situation ever arose. This is what athletes do before the big game right??

It went like this…Mason was eating and got a little too excited about his eggs and toast. His food went down the wrong pipe and though he tried to cough it out, suddenly he was silent and started looking blue, wide-eyed and scared. I quickly scooped him out of the high chair and held him facedown, with my forearm resting on my thigh, his head lower than his trunk, and tried 5 back blows, which didn’t work to dislodge the food.

I flipped him over and tried 5 chest thrusts.

No luck.

After continuing alternating back blows and chest thrusts and calling 911 as I have been trained to do, I kept thinking that there HAD to be something else I could try while I waited for the paramedics to arrive.

I mentioned this to my mom, and only half kidding said I would probably end up putting my mouth over his, closing his nostrils with my fingers, and sucking as hard as I could to try to get the food out, even though that is not at all what our guidelines say to do.

She very astutely said to me, ‘Yeah, and then YOU would be the one choking.’

She was probably right, as moms tend to be, but who wouldn’t do everything in their power to help their baby.

The next day on my Instagram feed, the LifeVac popped up in a post from one of the mamas I follow.

The LifeVac is a non-powered single patient portable suction device developed for resuscitating an aspirating victim when the standard protocol has been followed without success.

For medical professionals, it is difficult to change our thought process when it comes to standard protocols. We have protocols in place because they have proven to be effective. They also allow us to perform quickly and effectively in stressful situations.

It becomes second nature.

But when I ran through the protocol in my head when it came to my baby choking, I felt like there was a gap in the protocol. I knew there was something else I could be doing to try to save his life.

The LifeVac filled this gap for me.

In a study published by the American College of Emergency Physicians, the LifeVac removed a piece of a hot dog from a choking adolescent simulator system 472/500 times on the first attempt, 497/500 times in two attempts, and all obstructions were removed in three attempts.

So far, 11 lives have been saved by this product, and I expect there will be many more in the future.

While I would never abandon the standard choking protocol, it eases my mind to know I have another resource if back blows and chest thrusts are not working for Mason (or the Heimlich on an adult).

You can even use it on yourself.

I hope I never need it, but if all else fails, I will be glad that I have it.