'Jersey Shore' star Mike Sorrentino shares video of his two-year-old kid choking rescue
Mike Sorrentino, former star of MTV's "The Jersey Shore," shared video on Instagram of his son choking Saturday, calling the incident, "the scariest moment of our lives."
The video shows Sorrentino's two-year-old son Romeo choking on a piece of gnocchi as Sorrentino performs back slaps to dislodge the pasta.
"I am so proud of how my wife and I didn’t panic, didn’t hesitate and eventually dislodged the food which was blocking airway and saved his life," Sorrentino wrote in a post accompanying the video.
Sorrentino also said that the family would be taking CPR lessons and Romeo would not have gnocchi "any time soon."
How prevalent are child choking incidents?
184 children died from choking in 2017 a decline from 719 in 1968, according to a 2019 study.
A 2012 meta-analysis suggested that 60-80% of choking incidents in children were food related.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, children under four are more likely to choke on:
- Grapes
- Popcorn
- Chips
- Carrot sticks
- Cherry tomatoes
- Raw vegetable chunks
- Cheese chunks
- Sticky candy
- Peanut butter
- Chewing gum
How to stop a child from choking
According to the Mayo Clinic, the signs of choking include:
- One or both hands clutched to the throat
- A look of panic, shock or confusion
- Inability to talk
- Strained or noisy breathing
- Squeaky sounds when trying to breathe
- Cough, which may either be weak or forceful
- Skin, lips and nails that change color turning blue or gray
- Loss of consciousness
If a child is choking the first thing to do is call 911, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
If the child is under 1-year-old, turn them so that their chest is resting on your forearm and strike the heel of your hand between the child's shoulder blades. Repeat the motion five times and check the child's mouth to see if the obstruction has cleared. If the airway is still blocked, use your second and third fingers and give five inward and upward thrusts into the child's chest, about ½ to 1½ inches into the child's breastbone. If the child becomes unresponsive begin CPR.
If the child is over one year old perform the Heimlich Maneuver on them. The steps to follow, according to the Cleveland Clinic, are:
- Stand behind the person, and put your arms around their abdomen.
- Make a fist with one hand, and clasp your other hand tightly around it.
- Place the thumb side of your fist just below their ribcage and about two inches above their belly button (navel).
- Sharply and quickly thrust your hands inward and upward five times.
- Repeat this process until the object is freed or the person becomes unconscious. If the person becomes unconscious, start CPR.
