If a victim who is choking is coughing, you should

• A. Call EMS immediately
• B. Begin CPR
• C. Encourage continued coughing to expel the object
• D. Perform abdominal thrusts

Answer: (C)

When someone is choking but able to cough, air is still getting through, so the safest and most effective action is to let them keep coughing to try to dislodge the object. Encourage them to cough forcefully and stay with them, offering reassurance while you monitor their condition. Avoid interventions like abdominal thrusts while they can still cough and speak, because those maneuvers are used for complete obstruction and can interfere with their natural clearing effort. If the coughing becomes weak, stops, or they can’t speak or breathe, seek emergency help and begin appropriate choking first aid (for a conscious adult or child, abdominal thrusts; for an infant, back blows and chest thrusts). If the person becomes unresponsive at any point, start CPR and call for emergency services.